Healthy honey bees: Analysis of Deformed Wing Virus populations to assess rational Varroa control

Luke Woodford (University of St Andrews, UK)

11:25 - 11:35 Thursday 16 September Morning

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Session overview

Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite which infests honey bee colonies and transmits a cocktail of viruses. The most notable of which is Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). Together, Varroa and DWV cause annual overwinter colony losses of ~25% in the UK. Effective miticides exist to prevent Varroa, but without coordination of treatments between beekeepers, the mites move from colony to colony and infestations persist. Using a landscape scale study working with amateur beekeepers on the isle of Arran, we investigated whether coordination of treatments to reduce Varroa infestations and DWV infections improved honey bee health over a 3-year period.

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