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ARS Home Pacific West Area Tucson, Arizona Carl Hayden Bee Research Center Research Publications at this Location





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- Cold Storage Overview
- Why put colonies in cold storage to overwinter?
- When to put colonies in cold storage?
- Which colonies to put into cold storage?
- Cold Storage Overwintering Tool
- Overview
- Objective 1: Climate effects on bloom and floral rewards
- Objective 2. Landscape level nutrition models
- Objective 3: Determine pollinator number, diversity and pathogen load
- Objective 4: Develop a management plan for overwintering colonies in cold storage
- Outcomes
- Varroa Overview
- Varroa mite life cycle and reproduction
- Varroosis
- How to Monitor, Sample, and Treat for Varroa
- Current Research: Mite Migration
- Introduction
- BEEPOP+ Model

Title:   Author  item
                                            DeGrandi-Hoffman, Gloriaitem
                                            AHUMADA, FABIANA - Agscience Llcitem
                                            CURRY, ROBERT - Crystal River Consulting Llcitem
                                            PROBASCO, GENE - John I Haas, Incitem
                                            SCHANTZ, LLOYD - John I Haas, Inc
  Submitted to: Experimental and Applied Acarology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2014
                                    Publication  Date: 5/15/2014
                                    Citation: Hoffman, G.D., Ahumada, F., Curry, R., Probasco, G., Schantz, L. 2014. Population dynamics of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in commercial honey bee colonies and implications for control. Experimental and Applied Acarology. DOI 10.1007/s10493-014-9821-z.Interpretive Summary: We devised different treatment schedules to maintain low levels of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies using the miticide HopGuard® (HG). We tested the treatment schedules in hives started from either package bees or splits of larger colonies.  The schedules were developed based on predictions from a Varroa population growth model (VARROAPOP). In colonies started from package bees, Varroa populations were reduced to < 2.0 mites per 100 bees when HG was applied in the packages in the spring and again in the colonies during summer. In the fall, colonies treated in August had fewer mites than untreated colonies or those treated only in the spring. HG applications in colonies started from splits in April reduced mite populations to 0.12 mites per 100 bees. In September, the treated colonies had significantly fewer mites than the untreated controls. Subsequent HG applications in September that lasted for three weeks reduced mite populations to levels in November that were significantly lower than in colonies that were untreated or had an HG treatment that lasted for one week. The increases in Varroa populations from summer to fall that we measured in colonies established from package bees or splits were much greater than those predicted by the model which bases population growth on mite reproduction. One explanation for the differences might be that Varroa is immigrating into colonies in sufficiently high numbers to affect mite population growth. 
The implications for controlling Varroa in colonies if the mite is highly mobile are discussed.
                                Technical Abstract: Treatment schedules to maintain low levels of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies were tested in hives started from either package bees or splits of larger colonies.  The schedules were developed based on predictions of Varroa population growth generated from a mathematical model of honey bee colony – Varroa population dynamics.  The miticide we used was HopGuard® (HG). In colonies started from package bees, Varroa populations were reduced to < 2.0 mites per 100 bees when HG was applied in the packages in the spring and again in the colonies during summer. In the fall, colonies treated in August had fewer mites than untreated colonies or those treated only in the spring. HG applications in colonies started from splits in April reduced mite populations to 0.12 mites per 100 bees. In September, the treated colonies had significantly fewer mites than the untreated controls. Subsequent HG applications in September that lasted for three weeks reduced mite populations to levels in November that were significantly lower than in colonies that were untreated or had an HG treatment that lasted for one week. The increases in Varroa populations from summer to fall that we measured in colonies established from package bees or splits were much greater than those predicted by the model which bases population growth on mite reproduction. One explanation for the differences might be that Varroa is immigrating into colonies in sufficiently high numbers to affect mite population growth.


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