Behavioural adaptations of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in response to the invasive parasite Varroa destructor

Varroa destructor is an invasive honey bee parasite responsible for high levels of colony losses both domestic and wild in the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). High selective pressure despite mandatory management in many areas has begun to produce adaptations in several populations. The focus of my doctoral work was to confirm and describe a previously anecdotal 'mite-surviving' population of European honey bee in the Oslo region of Norway and test for several potential mite-surviving traits as well as examine the most prominent trait in several other known 'surviving' populations across Europe.
My future research here at SLU will explore the differences in behavioural trait performance (related to varroa) between populations that have adapted in two very different environments in Europe.