Authors : Ethem Akyol and Halil Yeninar
Abstract: This study was carried out to determine the effects of the Varroa (Varroa destructor) infestation level (in fall) on the wintering ability and survival rates of honeybee (A. mellifera anatoliaca) colonies. Four different infestation levels of varroa in honeybee colonies were tested in this study. Ten honeybee colonies in which infestation levels were similar were used for each group. A total of forty colonies were used. The average wintering abilities in low, medium, high and extreme groups were found to be 94.28, 91.42, 63.92 and 23.28%, respectively. An average survival rate for the low, medium, high and extreme groups were found to be 100, 100, 80 and 40%, respectively. Differences among the groups for wintering ability (p<0.01) were significant. A strong, negative correlation was found between the wintering ability, the survival rates and the level of varroa infestation (r = -0.71, r = -0.69). The colonies infested with high rates of varroa showed less wintering ability and lower survival rates than the low infested colonies.
Ethem Akyol and Halil Yeninar, 2011. The Effects of Varroa (Varroa destructor) Infestation Level on Wintering Ability and Survival Rates of Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 10: 1427-1430.