A survivor population of wild colonies of European honeybees in the northeastern United States: investigating its genetic structure

Apidologie - Tập 46 - Trang 654-666 - 2015
Thomas D. Seeley1, David R. Tarpy2, Sean R. Griffin1,3, Angela Carcione4, Deborah A. Delaney4
1Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
2Department of Entomology and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA
3Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
4Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

Tóm tắt

There is a widespread belief that wild colonies of European honeybees have been eradicated in Europe and North America, killed by viruses spread by the introduced ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. In reality, however, several populations of wild colonies of honeybees in Europe and North America are persisting despite exposure to Varroa. To help understand how this is happening, we tested whether the bees in one of these populations of wild colonies—those living in and around the Arnot Forest (NY, USA)—are genetically distinct from the bees in the nearest managed colonies. We found that the Arnot Forest honeybees are genetically distinct from the honeybees in the two apiaries within 6 km of the forest. Evidently, the population of Arnot Forest honeybees is not supported by a heavy influx of swarms from the nearest managed colonies, which implies that it is self-sustaining. These results suggest that if a closed population of honeybee colonies is allowed to live naturally, it will develop a balanced relationship with its agents of disease. Indeed, it is likely to become well adapted to its local environment as a whole. We suggest four ways to modify beekeeping practices to help honeybees live in greater health.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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