Bees: regional cooperation in the fight against the varroa mite
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The varroa mite, a parasite affecting bees, is present throughout the world, although a few areas still remain unaffected. The mites enter the hive and attach themselves to the bee’s abdomen in order to suck its blood. Apart from the damage they cause to hives, varroa mites are responsible for the transmission of new viruses and diseases on a local and global scale.
Traveling from country to country via commercial routes, this little mite wreaks havoc for beekeepers, whose colonies die out in a very short space of time. This is the case in Madagascar, invaded by the mites in 2010 causing hundreds of hives to be lost. In Madagascar, honey is a commodity which not only serves a medicinal purpose but is also forms an important link in the economic chain that allows the poor to pay school fees or medical care.
No effective treatment against the varroa mite
There is currently no truly effective treatment against varroa mites. Pesticides, mechanical solutions, or breeding of queens do not seem able to overcome the mite invasion. Reunion Island, just 700 km from Madagascar, still remains unaffected.
In preparation for the possible arrival of the varroa mite on the island, scientists and beekeepers from Madagascar and Reunion are working together in order to find a cure and a preventive solution. An e-PRPV program, in collaboration with the University of Antananarivo is currently working on the genetics of Apis mellifera unicolor, the bee endemic to Madagascar.
"So far we have only morphological knowledge of Apis mellifera unicolor. Studying this bee at the genetic level will not only establish an initial assessment in Réunion Island, but will allow us to ascertain whether it is possible to select bees with better defenses to cope with a possible future invasion of varroa mites", explains Helen Delatte, a researcher specializing in population genetics at the Cirad.
Scientists and beekeepers are optimistic about the partnership. They agree that a better understanding of the mite is fundamental before war can be waged on the common threat that is the varroa mite.