Varroa jacobsoni infestation of adult Africanized and Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera) in mixed colonies in Brazil

Different levels of infestation with the mite Varroa jacobsoni have been ob served in the various Apis mellifera races. In general, bees of European ra ces are more susceptible to the mite than African honey bees and their hybr ids. In Brazil honey bee colonies are not treated against the mite, though apparently both climate and bee race influence the mite infestation. Six mi xed colonies were made with Italian and Africanized honey bees. The percent age infestation by this parasite was found to be significantly lower in adu lt Africanized (1.69 +/- 0.44) than Italian bees (2.79 +/- 0.65). This rati o was similar to that found in Mexico, even though the Africanized bees tes ted there had not been in contact with varroa, compared to more than 20 yea rs of the coexistence in Brazil. However, mean mite infestation in Brazil o n both kinds of bees was only about a third of that found in Mexico.