A new breed of honey bee has been developed to resist its greatest parasite by removing infested larvae from its colonies.

The bees have been selectively bred over 20 years to resist the parasitic Varroa mites, which have been their prime threat for half a century.

Researchers found that when the bees were bred to identify and remove the Varroa mites – which can feed and live on adults but mostly target larvae – there was a two-fold increase in colony survival.

‘The Varroa mite is the greatest threat to managed honey bee colonies globally,’ said Dr Thomas O’Shea-Wheller, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

‘So far, new methods to control the mites – and the diseases that they carry – have had limited success, and the mites are becoming increasingly resistant to chemical treatments. It’s a ticking time-bomb.

‘By selectively breeding bees that identify and remove mites from their colonies, our study found a significant reduction in mite numbers, and crucially, a two-fold increase in colony survival.’

He added: ‘While this is the first large-scale trial, continued breeding and use of these bees has shown consistently promising results.

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