Varroa-Scabies

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OUTLINE

This page seeks a scabies Varroa link
Both Varroa and Scabies are mites and the mite made illnesses of their hosts
The striking efficiency of some honeys in healing scabies hints at a further device in bees' chemical repertoire Anti Scabietic Honey (ASA). If bees have ASA they dont need macro hygiene practice, (looked for but not found)
    Bees armoury:
  • bee sting
  • propolis
  • ASA ?
No ASA would be an outstanding hole in the bees' wide chemical repetoire
If not a mitecide An agent to make bee lymph repellent to mites
In spread of scabies, skin to skin touching is not always enough hinting at repellant and/or attractant factors in lymph. ASA may adjust repellant and/or attractant factors If tropical honeys (TH) heal scabies then this may be a clue to the bees inborn way of dealing with mites, and in turn may help in the handling of Varroa.
SCABIES-HONEY
South Moroccan, Mexican honey, and Thai (sub-)tropical honeys (TH) heal scabies, but Boreal honeys (BH) do not have this healing strength
    Leads thoughts to
  • Unknown something in honey
  • Anti-scabies agent in honey (ASA) , (ASH)
  • unknown to western medicine
  • used in africa and asia
  • made by mellifera intermissa and others
    • directly in honey
    • indirectly through incorporation of propolis
  • Climate-
    • geography of race
      and
    • floral background
      leading to
      • BH-TH polarity
      • medicinal variation
  • natural target of ASA? Other Mites or is it a general germicide?

VARROA-BEES
Discovered 1904 Java. Imports of european mellifera in 1950s into the asian Cerana homeland led to a Varroa species jump from cerana to Mellifera . Though not thriving in tropics infected Mellifera have returned to the Mellifera homeland and beyond, with devastation. bee disease

It was a racial type that was susceptible to Varroa . Varroa now dwells throughout the mellifera and cerana range and the americas apart from isolated Varroa free pockets and most of africa.

Resistance
Comparisons mellifera-cerana may have been with european mellifera
While african mellifera may match cerana in resistance. Afro-european mellifera have low and stable Varroa levels in Brazil and Paraguay African bees in US --
Propolis
The availability of certain gumtrees for inclusion in propolis, and the degree of inclusion in honey may effect medicinal properties

Breakdown of resistance
Varroa spread along expanded european mellifera race range independent of the climate but probably most severely in boreal climate. Varroa and winter combination most deadly.
Attempt to overcome winter dearth with sugar. Does sugar effect medicinal properties. Does sugar feeding correspond with least Varroa resistance.
Building of resistance
Mellifera's wide homeland from Northern Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, breaks down into many racial homelands, each with its own bee chemistry, economies and ways genetically established with their own limits.
But hybridisation may allow widening of ways .And may already have happened in tropical America.
Proposed experiments
    Experiments on Varroa infested mellifera (VIM)
  1. The feeding of VIM with african / cerana honey to test the making of bee lymph mite repellant
  2. Analysis of honeys to find the chemical agent of ASH.
  3. Supply of sources of propolis associated with ASA honey.
  4. Hybridisation.

Bees Apis
SpeciesRacesVarroa resistance (VR)ASAVR notes
MelliferaEuropean00
MelliferaAfrican11
  • Maybe illusory: if no substantial imports of Varroa
  • Maybe true: africanised bees boost honey production in Varroa infected S America
    CeranaS E Asian11

    Honey and scabies
    Climateanti scabietic honeyBeesugar fed
    boreal01
    (sub-)tropical1
    • Mellifera Intermissa ...S Morrocco
    • Mellifera Iberia (? +africanised) ...Mexico
    • Mellifera imports &/ Cerana, Dorata, Florea ...Thailand
    		0
    austral01

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