Professor of Entomology University of Guam Mangilao, Guam, Guam
The European honey bee, Apis meillfera, was introduced to the Marianas Archipelago during the early 1900's for pollination services. In 2014, Varroa mite, Varroa destructor was identified on honey bees Apis mellifera collected from Guam and Saipan. A survey was conducted from July 2021 to December 2021 on Guam and Saipan to monitor domestic honey bee colonies for varroa mites. Surveys conducted through the Sentinel Apiary Program revealed varroa mites found in four colonies on Saipan and no varroa mites found in Guam. In addition, Greater Banded Hornet, Vespa tropica, has become a serious problem for honey bee colonies on Guam since its detection in 2016. The findings of these surveys indicate the different pest and parasite pressures on honey bee colonies and highlight different IPM strategies used to prevent colony mortality.
