Honey production of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies with high and low Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) infestation rates in eastern Canada

The objective of this study was to compare the honey yields of groups of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies with high and low infestation rates of the mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Acari: Varroidae). More than 150 colonies were screened for mite fall in early spring and again 16 weeks later. The 10 colonies with the lowest rates (L) and the 10 colonies with the highest rates (H) of mite population growth were selected. These 20 colonies were evaluated for mite infestation in adult bees and honey production. Adult bee infestation in the colonies of the H group was significantly higher than in the colonies of the L group. Additionally, H and L colonies differed significantly for honey production. L colonies produced 28.91 +/- 72.34 kg of honey per hive versus 18.497 +/- 0.77 kg for the group of H colonies. Furthermore, the mite infestation level of colonies measured as mite fall or as number of mites per 100 bees, was significantly correlated with honey production (r = -0.62, P < 0.05 and r = -20.76, P < 0.01, respectively). These results indicate that varroa mite populations significantly reduce honey yields in honey bee colonies in eastern Canada.