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SARE Research Synopsis
Our goal was to breed honey bees, Apis mellifera, resistant to diseases
and parasitic mites to reduce the amount of antibiotics and pesticides
used in bee colonies, and to ensure that our breeding methods and
stock are accessible to beekeepers everywhere. We have bred a line
of bees for hygienic behavior called the "MN Hygienic line."
Hygienic behavior, the ability of bees to detect and remove diseased
and mite-parasitized brood from the nest, can be selectively bred
into any line or race of honey bees. Our tests of the MN Hygienic
line in commercial apiaries demonstrated that they have good resistance
to American foulbrood (a highly contagious and deadly bacterial
disease of bee larvae) and chalkbrood (a less serious fungal disease
of bee larvae). The hygienic line is partially resistant to the
devastating mite, Varroa destructor.
Since 2001, we have been incorporating another trait into the MN
Hygienic line called "Suppression of Mite Reproduction"
or SMR. We also have been investigating the mechanism for the SMR
trait to determine how bees can reduce mite reproductive success.
Our results demonstrated that bees bred for SMR are both hygienic
and have some yet unknown property associated with their brood that
reduces the number of viable offspring the mites produce. Combining
the SMR trait into the hygienic line, therefore, helped increase
the degree of hygienic behavior in our line, and added another factor
that helps suppress mite reproduction. Field trials in commercial
apiaries have demonstrated that the Hygienic/SMR cross significantly
reduces mite loads in colonies relative to the pure Hygienic line
and unselected lines of bees.
We are developing a web-based course called "Healthy Bees"
on sustainable methods of controlling diseases and mite pests of
honey bees. The main emphasis will be on promoting the use of resistant
bee stocks as the foundation for integrated pest management strategies.
This will be the only such course available online to beekeepers,
and is a crucial link between our research and its successful implementation.
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