Varroa mites are one of the biggest threats to honeybee colonies today, and combating them requires a strategic approach.
One promising solution is to focus on selective breeding, as some strains of bees are naturally better at cleaning themselves and their hive of Varroa mites.
However, achieving this requires careful selection and management of the gene pool in your apiary.
Varroa-Resistant Bee Strains
Certain bee strains are known to have hygienic behaviors that make them better at dealing with mites.
These bees are more likely to detect mites on their bodies and effectively remove them through grooming.
Additionally, some bees exhibit Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH), which involves detecting and removing mite-infested brood from the hive.
This behavior helps reduce the mite population significantly and gives the entire colony a better chance at survival.
The Importance of Selective Breeding
To develop a mite-resistant colony, beekeepers need to focus on selective breeding.
By prioritizing queens and drones from colonies that show strong grooming and VSH behaviors, beekeepers can enhance these traits in the overall population.
It’s important to consistently evaluate and track the performance of your colonies so that you can select the strongest, healthiest queens for breeding.
How to Select for Better Resistance
1. Evaluate Colony Performance: Regularly monitor the colonies to identify those with strong resistance to Varroa mites.
This might involve looking for signs of reduced mite loads or observing grooming behavior.
2. Breed From Resistant Colonies: Once you’ve identified which colonies are performing well against mites, use these colonies to raise queens.
3. Keep Detailed Records: Selective breeding is a long-term effort, and keeping detailed records of your colonies and their traits is essential.
This will help you track progress and ensure that you’re continuously improving the resilience of your apiary.
4. Track drone brood: One very effective way to assess the infestation rate inside a hive is to uncap some drones and manually check for mites weekly.
