Varroa destructor infestation in honey bees in Ankara region, and antioxidant properties of produced honey

This study was undertaken to determine whether there was any correlation between the level of Varroa destructor infestation in honey bee samples collected from the Ankara region of Turkiye and the antioxidant contents of honey samples from those colonies. In terms of the severity of V. destructor infestation, the average percentage of infested bees in the first group was 16.06 +/- 1.2%, the average percentage in the second group was 7.27 +/- 0.71%, and the average in the third group was 1.69 +/- 0.46%. Statistically significant differences were found between all honey samples collected from the three groups in terms of total phenolic contents and DPPH values. The total flavonoid levels in the honey samples taken from the third group were significantly higher than the values determined in the samples taken from the other two groups, while the ABTS and FRAP levels in honey samples from the first group were significantly higher than the values determined in samples from the other two groups. It was concluded that the total phenolic substances, total flavonoid contents, and DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP values of honey samples collected from these honey bee colonies changed in direct proportion to the severity of V. destructor infestation.