Impact of Varroa destructor n. sp. infestation on honey production of Apis mellifera L. colonies in a Mediterranean climate

This study aimed at investigating the impact of Varroa infestation on Apis mellifera carnica, A. m. iberica and A. m. ligustica honey productions of colonies kept, for approximately one year, in a Portuguese Mediterranean environment. By the end of the experiment, Varroa-free A. m. ligustica colonies stored the largest mean amounts of honey ( 67 kg), followed by A. m. carnica ( 44 kg) and A. m. iberica ( 29 kg). Within each subspecies, progressive reductions of honey stored in Varroa-infested colonies, compared with Varroa-free ones, became increasingly evident during spring and summer. By the end of the experiment, Varroa had apparently caused average reductions of 18 kg of honey per colony of A. m. iberica, 24 kg per colony of A. m. carnica and 54 kg per colony of A. m. ligustica.

Varroa; Abelhas; Mel / Varroa; Honey bees; Honey.