Honey production of honey bee colonies infested with Acarapis woodi (Rennie)

Abstract

The honey production of Apis mellifera colonies infested with Acarapis woodi (Rennie) was monitored in northeastern Mexico. After 31 days of a citrus nectar flow, lightly (< 5.0%), modera- tely (39.8%), and heavily (86.7%) infested colonies produced on average 24.1, 11.5, and 3.2 kg of surplus honey, respectively. Honey production was positively correlated with colony size and negati- vely with the degree of parasitism. Significant population losses while overwintering probably affec- ted the productivity of moderately and heavily infested colonies. Additional effects of parasitism are suggested as contributing to poor honey production. The results suggest that even moderate levels of A. woodi can have substantial economic consequences for susceptible populations of bees. Additionally, infestation levels rose significantly in the lightly infested colonies, but declined in the moderately and heavily infested colonies. The percent change in parasitism was positively correla- ted with the degree of parasitism at the start of the test. Differential mortality of heavily infested bees is suggested as the cause.