7:20am Monday 17th October 2011
The International Bee Research association (IBRA) has won a Gold Medal at the International Apicultural Congress held at Buenos Aires, Argentina, for its book “Varroa - still a problem in the 21st century?”
This important new book covers the major problem affecting bees worldwide, the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. One of the book’s authors, Professor Keith Delaplane of the University of Georgia, USA, coordinator of the US$4.1M “Managed Pollinator Coordinated Agricultural Project”, a multi-institutional consortium funded by the US Department of Agriculture and dedicated to the goal of understanding and mitigating the causes of bee decline says: “it is simply non controversial among the world’s practicing bee scientists that Varroa destructor is problem #1”. In recent years, the world’s headlines have been full of stories of mass deaths of honey bee colonies, but scientific consensus suggests that there is no single cause, and that different interacting factors may be occurring in different regions. It is inescapable, however, that varroa is present in all regions where recent colony losses have occurred, and the mite is known to interact with other pests and diseases, principally viruses. Varroa is, however, not new, but remains a problem because conventional approaches to control have failed, with the mite becoming resistant to many of the chemicals used.
In this new book, a team of international scientists addresses all aspects of the varroa problem, with chapters on: mite biology; varroa and viruses; chemical control; Integrated Pest Management; biological control and breeding bees for varroa tolerance. The final chapter looks forward at prospects for improved control and innovative ways to tackle the problem.
IBRA Scientific Director Norman Carreck says: “We are delighted at this recognition that our book brings together in one place the state of our current knowledge of how the global varroa crisis can be tackled”.
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