Residual tau-fluvalinate in honey bee colonies is coupled with evidence for selection for Varroa destructor resistance to pyrethroids

Abstract

Varroa destructor is one of the most prevalent honey bee (Apis mellifera) pathogens worldwide. Nowadays, the main method to control this parasite involves the application of different acaricidal treatments, among which the pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate is one of the most widely used. However, the intensive and repetitive application of these chemicals generates a selective pressure that, when maintained over time, contributes to the emergence of resistant mites in the honey bee colonies. Here we analysed the presence of residual tau-fluvalinate and the patterns of genetic resistance to this acaricide in Varroa mites collected from tau-fluvalinate untreated honey bee colonies. Our results show the widespread and persistent pyrethroid contamination of beeswax and beebread in the hives, along with an excess of pyrethroid-resistant genotypes and an overall increase in the frequency of the pyrethroid-resistant allele in the mite population over time. Persistent contamination of the hives likely compromises the efficacy of tau-fluvalinate treatments and, therefore, may have serious long-term consequences for the control of varroosis.

Varroa destructor is considered one of the most devastating parasites of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a major problem for the beekeeping industry. Currently, the main method to control Varroa mites is the application of drugs that contain different acaricides as active ingredients. The pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate is one of the acaricides most widely used in beekeeping due to its efficacy and low toxicity to bees. However, the intensive and repetitive application of this compound produces a selective pressure that, when maintained over time, contributes to the emergence of resistant mites in the honey bee colonies, compromising the acaricidal treatments efficacy. Here we studied the presence of tau-fluvalinate residues in hives and the evolution of genetic resistance to this acaricide in Varroa mites from honey bee colonies that received no pyrethroid treatment in the previous four years. Our data revealed the widespread and persistent tau-fluvalinate contamination of beeswax and beebread in hives, an overall increase of the pyrethroid resistance allele frequency and a generalized excess of resistant mites relative to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations. These results suggest that tau-fluvalinate contamination in the hives may seriously compromise the efficacy of pyrethroid-based mite control methods.