Rodrigues de Miranda, Joachim
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Review article2012Peer reviewedOpen access
Varroa destructor : Research avenues towards sustainable control.
Dietemann, Vincent; Pflugfelder, Jochen; Anderson, Denis; Charrière, Jean-Daniel; Chejanovsky, Nor; Dainat, Benjamin; Rodrigues De Miranda, Joachim; Delaplane, Keith; Dillier, Franz-Xaver; Fuchs, Stefan; Gallmann, Peter; Gauthier, Laurent; Imdorf, Anton; Koeniger, Nikolas; Krajl, Jasna; Meikle, William; Pettis, Jeff; Rosenkranz, Peter; Sammataro, Diana; Smith, Debora;
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Abstract
Pollination by honey bees plays a key role in the functioning of ecosystems and optimisation of agricultural yields. Severe honey bee colony losses worldwide have raised concerns about the sustainability of these pollination services. In many cases, bee mortality appears to be the product of many interacting factors, but there is a growing consensus that the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor plays the role of the major predisposing liability. We argue that the fight against this mite should be a priority for future honey bee health research. We highlight the lack of efficient control methods currently available against the parasite and discuss the need for new approaches. Gaps in our knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of the mite are identified and a research road map towards sustainable control is drawn. Innovative and challenging approaches are suggested in order to stimulate research efforts and ensure that honey bees will be able to sustainably fulfil their role in the ecosystem.
Published in
Journal of Apicultural Research
2012, volume: 51, number: 1, pages: 125-132
Publisher: INT BEE RESEARCH ASSOC
SLU Authors
Yañez, Orlando
- Swiss Bee Research Centre
UKÄ Subject classification
Other Biological Topics
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3896/IBRA.1.51.1.15
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/45757