Control of Varroa Mites
Research Focus
Control of varroa mites and other maladies of honey bees. We are studying (1) the live mites which fall from the honey bee colony to the hive bottom board, and a method for eliminating these mites which would otherwise return to the colony; (2) the intra-apiary movement of mites among hives by drifting bees, and a sampling scheme which is based on this movement; (3) resistance to varroa mites, and other desirable traits, in honey bee colonies (aka "survivor hives") which have been unmanaged or feral for many years, and (4) transmission of Nosema apis among honey bees.
For extension publications and information, see our Apiculture Extension page.
Staff
- Thomas Webster, Principal Investigator 502-597-6351
- Etta M. Thacker, Research Assistant 502-597-6351
Recent Publications
Webster, T. C. 2004 in press. Honey bee. In Encyclopedia of Entomology . KluwerAcademic Publishers.
Webster, T. C. 2004 in press. Tracheal mite. In Encyclopedia of Entomology . Kluwer Academic Publishers..
Webster, T. C., K. W. Pomper, G. Hunt, E. M. Thacker and S. C. Jones.2004. Nosema apis infection in worker and queen Apis mellifera. Apidologie 35:49-54.
Webster, T. C., F. E. Vorisek and E. M. Thacker. 2003. Long term effects of bottom board screens for control of Varroa destructor in bee hives. Thirteenth Biennial Research Symposium 2003, p. 116.
Webster, T. C., E. M. Thacker and F. V. Vorisek. 2002. Measurement of live Varroa jacobsoni mitefall in honey bee hives. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites. Pp. 169-170.
