Spatial distribution of Varroa destructor and bee brood within colonies of Apis mellifera

Varroa destructor is an important pest of Apis mellifera, the European honey bee. The mite feeds on both brood and adult bees reducing their immune system and vectoring several damaging viruses. Current methods of mite sampling and control do not consider the spatiotemporal distribution of the mite, and this has, in part, led to the indiscriminate use of chemicals that negatively impact colony function and survival. The goal of this study is twofold: to characterize the spatiotemporal distributions of Varroa mites and honey bee brood, and to quantify the relationship between the two distributions within hives. The spatial structure of Varroa mites that collect on a sticky board placed at the bottom of the hive will be assessed in the spring, summer, and fall using geostatistical methods. To assess brood distribution, each brood frame will be photographed to create an electronic image, which will then be processed in image processing software using a supervised clustering process to distinguish capped brood cells from other cells. The processed brood frame images with brood identified will be layered to create a single 2D image of brood distribution within the hive. The relationship between the spatial distribution of Varroa mites and brood will be compared and quantified by correlation analysis. The degree of Varroa mite aggregation on sticky boards is expected to be related to mite population levels. In addition, the spatiotemporal distributions of mite and brood will be correlated, but the strength of correlation is expected to change with season.