Resistance to Israeli acute paralysis virus in honey bees (Apis mellifera) – initial screenings and future steps

Honey bee virology has advanced significantly in recent years but improvements in honey bee health are still developing. Studies performed in the 1970s showed it was possible to select for resistance to the virus that causes hairless black syndrome (now known to be one type of chronic bee paralysis virus), but we know of no other study to look at resistance to a virus. We are interested in finding genes associated with resistance to Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV). In our attempt to investigate resistance to IAPV, 45 colonies were screened for resistance/susceptibility to oral inoculation with semi-purified IAPV (using sucrose as a control treatment). There were clear mortality differences between colonies and treatments, therefore selection for resistance should be possible. Our plan is to cross the most susceptible colony with the most resistant and use genetic markers to find quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence resistance to IAPV, allowing for the breeding of breed healthier bees.