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The effect of the ‘Bee Gym™’ grooming device on Varroa destructor mite fall from honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Block, W 
Glover, BJ 

Abstract

Grooming is a honey bee behavior that has the potential to minimize and manage the detrimental effects of Varroa destructor. Here we tested the efficacy of the Bee Gym™, a device hypothesized to increase honey bee auto-grooming and increase mite removal from colonies. Natural mite fall from 20 colonies was counted for 14 days, after which half the colonies were fitted with a Bee Gym and half with a control object. Mite fall and the proportion of damaged mites were then recorded for another 14 days. Total mite fall was generally higher over the second 14 days, but this increase was not significantly higher for the Bee Gym colonies than for the control colonies. There was also no difference in the proportion of damaged mites between the two treatments. Mite fall and damage to mites may be influenced by other factors, and this is discussed; however, given that we found no effect of the Bee Gym, we conclude that there is no evidence from this study of its efficacy as a management strategy for V. destructor.

El aseo es un comportamiento de la abeja de la miel que tiene el potencial de minimizar y de manejar los efectos perjudiciales de Varroa destructor. Aquí hemos probado la eficacia del Bee Gym ™, un dispositivo que hipotéticamente aumenta el auto-aseo en la abeja de la miel y aumentar la eliminación de ácaros de las colonias. La caída natural de ácaros de 20 colonias se contó durante 14 días, tras lo cual la mitad de las colonias fueron equipadas con un Bee Gym y la otra mitad con un objeto de control. La caída de ácaros y la proporción de ácaros dañados se registraron durante otros 14 días. La caída total de ácaros fue generalmente mayor durante los segundos 14 días, pero este aumento no fue significativamente mayor para las colonias con Bee Gym que para las colonias de control. Tampoco hubo diferencias en la proporción de ácaros dañados entre los dos tratamientos. La caída de ácaros y el daño a los ácaros pueden estar influidos por otros factores, lo cual se discute; sin embargo, dado que no encontramos ningún efecto del Bee Gym, concluimos que no hay evidencia en este estudio de su eficacia como estrategia de manejo para V. destructor.

Description

Keywords

Apis mellifera, Bee Gym, bottom boards, grooming, honey bee, mite fall, Varroa destructor

Journal Title

Journal of Apicultural Research

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0021-8839
2078-6913

Volume Title

56

Publisher

Informa UK Limited
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J014540/1)
Stuart Roweth supplied the Bee Gyms and control frames and provided funding for equipment and travel costs. JGP was funded by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership studentship under Grant [BB/J014540/1].