A comparative study of diagnostic methods for detection of Varroa destructor infestation level in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

Abstract

The main methods for detection of infestation level of parasitic mite Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies were studied. The methods using vivo evaluation are more sparing for bees but less precise; those using evaluation with the killing of bees or brood are the most precise but less sparing for bees. The indirect method of evaluation of mite infestation by sampling the natural mortality of mite is the most sparing but not as precise as the previous ones, though the correlation between the rate of infestation of adult bees and natural mortality of mites is strong. The natural mortality of 1mite/24-hours corresponds to the presence of about 160 mites on bees per colony.