dc.contributor.author |
Nganso, Beatrice T.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Fombong, Ayuka T.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Yusuf, Abdullahi Ahmed
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Pirk, Christian Walter Werner
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Stuhl, Charles
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Torto, Baldwyn
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2019-05-20T14:17:15Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2019-05-20T14:17:15Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2018-10 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
Although Varroa destructor is the most serious ecto-parasite to the honeybee, Apis mellifera L., some honeybee populations such as Apis mellifera scutellata in Kenya can survive mite infestations without treatment. Previously, we reported that grooming behaviour could be a potential tolerant mechanism expressed by this honeybee subspecies towards mite infestation. However, both hygienic and grooming behaviours could not explain the lower mite-infestation levels recorded in these colonies. Here, we investigated the involvement of other potential resistant mechanisms including suppression of mite reproduction in worker brood cells of A. m. scutellata to explain the low mite numbers in their colonies. High infertility rates (26–27%) and percentages of unmated female offspring (39–58%) as well as low fecundity (1.7–2.2, average offspring produced) were identified as key parameters that seem to interact with one another during different seasons to suppress mite reproduction in A. m. scutellata colonies. We also identified offspring mortality in both sexes and absence of male offspring as key factors accounting for the low numbers of mated daughter mites produced in A. m. scutellata colonies. These results suggest that reduced mite reproductive success could explain the slow mite population growth in A. m. scutellata colonies. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Zoology and Entomology |
en_ZA |
dc.description.librarian |
hj2019 |
en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship |
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ARS- Grant # 58-6615-3-011-F; UK’s Department for International Development (DFID); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and the Kenyan Government. Immense gratitude to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) In-Region Scholarship for funding the research work through a PhD fellowship at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and the Office of International Research Programs at USDA-ARS for providing the financial support needed for the research conducted in the USA. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.uri |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/parasitology |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation |
Nganso, B.T., Fombong, A.T., Yusuf, A.A. et al. 2018, 'Low fertility, fecundity and numbers of mated female offspring explain the lower reproductive success of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in African honeybees', Parasitology, vol. 145, no. 12, pp. 1633-1639. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
0031-1820 (print) |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
1469-8161 (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.1017/S0031182018000616 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/69186 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_ZA |
dc.publisher |
Cambridge University Press |
en_ZA |
dc.rights |
© Cambridge University Press 2018 |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Reproduction |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Resistance |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Varroa destructor |
en_ZA |
dc.title |
Low fertility, fecundity and numbers of mated female offspring explain the lower reproductive success of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in African honeybees |
en_ZA |
dc.type |
Postprint Article |
en_ZA |