Reseach 2006
APIS MELLIFERA L.) AND VARROA DESTRUCTOR
P.Aumeier1,WH. Kirchner1, G. Liebig 2
1 Ruhr-University of Bochum, Faculty of Biology,Germany
2 University of Hohenheim, Bee research institute, Germany
E-mail: Pia.Aumeier©rub.de
Since 2003 the Kónya rotating-broodframe beehive (
www.anivet.hu) is advertised
as a method of augmenting the honey yield, preventing bee colonies from swarming and
of Varroa destructor control.
In a triennial study we investigated the effect of unnatural movements of brood
combs by 1) weekly rotating all brood combs of 6 colonies during the swarm season, 2)
daily manipulating brood combs out of 8 colonies on three different ways: control =
comb never touched, rotated = comb rotated 180_dm; vertically, shaken = comb hit on
the ground three times with 40-50g, 3) using the replica of a rotating-broodframe
beehive for one season.
Macroparasites
47
Weekly rotation of brood combs neither influenced the population dynamics of
honey bees or Varroa-mites nor altered the honey yield. However, in contrast to control
colonies most test colonies could be prevented from swarming as weekly rotating causes
elimination of swarm cells. Daily rotating or shaking of brood cells did neither affect
fertility (93-100%) nor fecundity (2.6-3.0) of reproductive mites or mortality of mite
offspring in the brood cells. Independently of the type of manipulation both types of
mates were only present in 11-43% of single-infested cells shortly before hatching of the
young bee. The mites’ orientation in the brood cell solely seems to be impeded in terms
of the position of the fecal accumulation, which was randomly distributed only in rotated
cells. A colony kept in the rotating-broodframe beehive died from extremely high
Varroa-infestation after one season. Thus, we can not confirm any effect of unnatural
movements of brood combs on developing bees or reproductive Varroa-mites,
respectively.