Acta Entomologica Sinica ›› 2016, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (7): 775-784.doi: 10.16380/j.kcxb.2016.07.010

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Synergistic effects of Varroa destructor and Deformed wing virus on honey bee health

LIN Zhe-Guang, QIN  Yao, LI  Li, WANG  Shuai, ZHENG Huo-Qing*, HU Fu-Liang   

  1. (College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)
  • Online:2016-07-20 Published:2016-07-20

Abstract: The elevated global colony losses of the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, have drawn much attention in beekeeping and scientific communities. The ectoparasite Varroa destructor and Deformed wing virus (DWV) are regarded as the two key biotic threats to colony health. Irrespective of the long-time existence in colonies, their synergistic impacts on honey bee health, which are far more severe than the harms caused by separate individuals, were not intensively studied until the recent decade. These synergistic effects include: (1) DWV replicates on V. destructor and transmits with the mites; (2) DWV can be directly transmitted into host hemolymph through mite feeding; (3) Highly virulent strains of DWV bias proliferation in A. mellifera populations with the co-occurrence of Varroa infestation; (4) V. destructor affects honey bee’s immunity and development, resulting in the impairment of host defence to viruses; (5) DWV-induced immunosuppression in hosts favors mite feeding and reproduction. The complex relationships among V. destructor, DWV and A. mellifera have become a typical model in the study of parasite-pathogen-host interactions. By summarizing the relevant researches in this field over the last decade, we aim to provide insights for further studies on colony losses and parasite-pathogen-host interactions.  

Key words: Key words: Apis mellifera, Varroa destructor, Deformed wing virus, synergistic effect, colony health, parasite-pathogen-host interactions