Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bee

[Beefriendly]

Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees

Very interesting Article in Nature this week about the relationship of varroa and Deformed Wing Virus (DWV).
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep45953

It, assuming I have interpreted it correctly suggest that unless varroa feed on bees that have a mutant or virulent form of DWV then many of those populations remain alive. It's when varroa and a virulent form of DWV interact that you can get devastation of colonies.
The authors suggest that many hives that currently co-exist with varroa
might be ticking time-bombs. The moment they encounter a mutated or virulent form comparatively few varroa are need to spread the infection and cause colony collapse.
I'll let others more erudite than myself explain where i have got it wrong.

 

[Finman]

Oldest varroa tolerant bees are in Primorski Siberia above North Korea.
Russian bee of USA has been bred from that population.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Every new lecture I attend has a new theory.
First there is DWV A and B now C
Then inoculation of the virus by varroa changes the dynamics of the different normal variants in the honey bee........ now this
So confusing

EDIT....PS that's a very interesting paper. Thanks for the link

 

[Fusion_power]

It is a thought provoking article, unfortunately marred by a number of erroneous or unproven statements. This is not the oldest varroa/DWV tolerant population of bees. Varroa did not jump from Cerana to Mellifera in the 1950's. The conclusion that small population size has protected the bees from a virulent form of DWV is not proven though admittedly it is a good working hypothesis.

 

[For want of a better word]

It has now been shown that the appearance of a virulent DWV-variant occurs within the bee, not the mite, which appears to be acting only as a mechanical vector.

This supports the argument that "importing" bees... queens included, could bring into an area a virulent form of pathogen, and I would consider gives weight to the argument to produce bees ( and queens) locally.

Once the destroying variant of pathogen is in the population, Varroa then acts quickly to transmit the disease between colonies, possibly aided by beekeepers in moving colonies from place to place ( possibly a greater risk with migratory beekeeping activities and from beekeepers sending infected bees as nucs across the land)

One wonders if you great grand children will be beekeepers???

Myttin da

 

[For want of a better word]

It has now been shown that the appearance of a virulent DWV-variant occurs within the bee, not the mite, which appears to be acting only as a mechanical vector.

This supports the argument that "importing" bees... queens included, could bring into an area a virulent form of pathogen, and I would consider gives weight to the argument to produce bees ( and queens) locally.

Once the destroying variant of pathogen is in the population, Varroa then acts quickly to transmit the disease between colonies, possibly aided by beekeepers in moving colonies from place to place ( possibly a greater risk with migratory beekeeping activities and from beekeepers sending infected bees as nucs across the land)

One wonders if you great grand children will be beekeepers???

Myttin da

 

[Finman]

Oldest Varroa tolerant honey bee population provides insight into the origins of the global decline of honey bees

where i have got it wrong.

Globally beehives are increasing.

There is no global decline
.

 

[Finman]

This supports the argument that "importing" bees... queens included, could bring into an area a virulent form of pathogen, and I would consider gives weight to the argument to produce bees ...

One wonders if you great grand children will be beekeepers???

Myttin da

All mellifera bees are imported in Americas during last 200 years.

Black bees have died out there.

And now it is reported in USA, that it is varroa which kills hives because beeks do not treat them.

One isle of Brasil is a "global indicator"....... Oh dear.... Normally everything depends on global warming...
.

 

[Beefriendly]

It has now been shown that the appearance of a virulent DWV-variant occurs within the bee, not the mite, which appears to be acting only as a mechanical vector.

This supports the argument that "importing" bees... queens included, could bring into an area a virulent form of pathogen, and I would consider gives weight to the argument to produce bees ( and queens) locally.

I'd have thought that someone who once worked on marine viruses would be aware that RNA viruses have one of the highest mutation rates of any virus and that natural mutation rate accounts for some of the transformations from docile to virulence.
Not imports.
But never let the facts stop a good rant about stopping imports.
How are your Italian bees doing?