The greatest destroyer of bees came from Asia. Could the savior come from there, too?

Pol-line bees can help fight mite infestation.

Since the invasions of invasive moths began about 50 to 60 years ago, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica, which are still free of moth infestation, almost new eras have begun. bees in preservation.

Researchers at various American and English universities have been working with honeybees for twenty years Varroa Atca Seeking protection against As part of this, Thomas O’Shea Weiler, a professor at the University of Exeter, has tested “pol-line” bees from Asia that have been bred for resistance to the mites in a large-scale pollination process, along with a standard strain. sciencedailycom.

Researchers have been working for decades looking for ways to control honey bees against Varroa mites. – Pxfuel Photography

With the help of the so-called Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) treatment, bees that were partially resistant or tolerant of Varroa mites were produced, with encouraging results and the mortality of winter colonies was significantly reduced.

However, bees treated in this way sometimes react to it to attack moths (which reproduce in uterine larval cells) to kill larvae infected with mites.

Chosen to resist bees Moths are detected remotely and removed from colonies, and accordingly studies have shown a significant reduction in the number of mites and a doubling of the survival rate of bees. Varroa mite is native to Asia, so bees there carry a natural resistance to it. However, more trials are needed to provide greater protection.