Attractiveness of Africanized honey bee brood from Southern Texas to Varroa destructor infestation

The attractiveness to Varroa destructor infestation of Africanized honey bee (AHB) brood from southern Texas and European honey bees (EHB) from Louisiana were compared using a bioassay. The overall conclusion is that the larvae of AHB in South Texas and EHB from Louisiana were equally attractive to V. destructor and that the mites reproduced as successfully. Small differences were detected which suggest that AHB may have a slight resistance to V. destructor. However, other aspects of the epizootiology of varroosis such as climate, variation in honey bee stock, and variation in V. destructor determine the severity of the parasitism substantially more than the small, generally insignificant differences reported here. Possible implications of these observations on feral populations of AHB are discussed.