Seasonality of honey bee colony invasion by Varroa jacobsoni Oud

Abstract - Invasion of Varroa jacobsoni into Apis mellifera colonies was monitored using Bayvarol-strips for 2 years from April to October. The seasonal profile of mite invasion was similar in all colonies. Invasion was low in spring and increased considerably during summer when it remained at high levels until autumn. Mite invasion into the monitored colonies correlated closely with the infestation level of the apiaries, but varied considerably between monitor colonies.