What makes the Varroa parasite of honeybees resistant to chemical treatments?

North American, Spanish and German researchers, leaded by Joel González-Cabrera, from the Universitat de València, published a study describing two new mutations that allow the mite of the bees ‘Varroa destructor’ to adapt and survive chemical treatments. The work faces one of the biggest problems of the apiculture and agriculture: a mite that decimates bee world population.

Ref: Novel Mutations in the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel of Pyrethroid-Resistant Varroa destructor Populations from the Southeastern USA. González-Cabrera J, Rodríguez-Vargas S, Davies TG, Field LM, Schmehl D, Ellis JD, Krieger K and Williamson MS, PLoS One; 11(5): e0155332 (2016).

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/related?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155332

Media Coverage:

• Universitat de València: http://www.uv.es/uvweb/biology/en/faculty-biological-sciences/scientists-discover-two-new-mutations-varroa-parasite-which-allow-them-resist-insecticide-kill-bees-1285848173740/Novetat.html?id=1285969904508
• Rothamsted Research: http://rothamsted.ac.uk/news-views/what-makes-varroa-parasite-honey-bees-resistant-chemical-treatment
• Agencia Sinc: http://www.agenciasinc.es/Noticias/Dos-mutaciones-permiten-a-un-parasito-resistir-a-los-plaguicidas-y-matar-abejas
• Periódico Levante: http://www.levante-emv.com/comunitat-valenciana/2016/05/20/investigador-descubre-mutaciones-varroa/1420322.html
• CV radio: http://www.cvradio.es/es/joel-gonzalez-especialista-en-entomologia-molecular-nos-habla-del-parasito-que-esta-destruyendo-las-abejas/