Varroa destructor: ITS INTERACTION WITH Apis mellifera COLONY STRENGTH IN TWO LOCALITIES OF SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, MEXICO

The mite Varroa destructor is one of the greatest threats to the apiculture sector worldwide. Generation of knowledge on its behavior and of the factors that favor its development under different environmental conditions, as well as the level of influence of these factors, is essential to the development of strategies for integral management of the mite. With the objective of analyzing the interaction between the variables of Apis mellifera colony strength and the percentage of V. destructor infestation, a group of 40 beehives were monitored during two flowering seasons, spring and summer-fall, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The variables were analyzed using the Pearson correlation analysis as well as an analysis of variance with repeated measures in time (p ≤ 0.05). The level of V. destructor infestation was significantly related to the quantity of honey (+0.58) and pollen (+0.62) reserves and negatively correlated with hygienic behavior (-0.65). The percentage of V. destructor infestation in spring was not significantly different from that in summer-fall, while the quantity of food (honey and pollen) reserves in spring were statistically superior as of the second half of the season. Hygienic behavior had statistical differences only at the beginning of the flowering seasons; it was superior in summer-fall. However, this difference was not maintained over time.