Management and Landscape Factors Associated with the Infestation Levels of Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae in Apis mellifera Colonies from Korea

초록

Honey bees are important pollinators but facing threats from ectoparasitic mites of Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae. Nationwide monitoring of mites and associated beekeeping and landscape factors was conducted in 2024-2025. Honey bee parasitic mites were collected by sugar dusting method. Management factors were questioned, and landscape factors were extracted from geographic information system. Infestation levels per hive were 13.16±22.45 Varroa and 0.12±0.30 Tropilaelaps in 2024, and 5.09±7.95 Varroa and 0.02±0.08 Tropilaelaps in 2025, with a statistically significant difference observed in Varroa between years. In 2024, Tropilaelaps detection was significantly higher in migratory apiaries than in stationary ones. Landscape analysis revealed that Varroa infestation was significantly higher in non-dominant type. These findings indicate that year-to-year variation, migratory beekeeping, and landscape composition influence mite distribution. Implementing targeted surveillance and seasonally adjusted management could enhance control of honey bee ectoparasitic mites and support sustainable apiculture in Korea.

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