Varroa – Short History
August 16, 2016
From: Apis Information Resource Center
The Varroa bee mite (Varroa jacobsoni) was first discovered by A.C. Oudemans in 1904, as a parasite of the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana. In the late 1940s, Through movement of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies into and out of Asia, Varroa mite became established on honey bees first in Africa and then in Europe. Quickly, it spread around the world. It was first detected in the U.S. in 1987; Mexico and Canada quickly closed their borders to U.S. bees. Varroa has now been in the U.S. for over two decades and a robust history exists published in two parts: 1 and 2.
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Varroa continues to be considered the most devastating parasite of honey bee colonies in existence. The mite is absolutely dependent on the honey bee and cannot complete its life cycle without being in contact with the honey bees. One reason is that the mite-bee relationship is relatively very new. Most parasites have evolved mechanisms so that they do not kill their hosts, in the long range disadvantageous. Thus, the original host, Apis cerana, is somewhat resistant to predation by mites. However in temperate areas, almost every Apis mellifera colony infested by Varroa will be killed unless there is intervention to reduce the mite population. There is mounting evidence, however, that certain European honey bees and other populations might be somewhat resistant/tolerant and incipient breeding programs exist to cultivate and enhance this “Varroa survivor stock.” At the moment the Russian Honey Bee Breeding Program and those based on removal of mites through colony hygiene are the most promising. Read contributor Randy Oliver’s ideas on the possibility of breeding honey bees more resistant to Varroa now and in the future.
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