Inter-colony distance of Apis mellifera significantly affects colony numbers of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. We set up 15 apiaries, each consisting of two colonies. Each apiary pair was assigned an inter-colony distance of 0, 10, or 100 m. Colonies were rendered nearly mite-free, then one colony in each pair was seeded with 300 female mites (mite-donor colony), while the other remained uninoculated (mite-recipient colony). After 4 months of monitoring, a whole-model analysis showed that apiaries in which colonies were spaced 100 m apart contained lower average mite numbers than 0 or 10 m apiaries. There were interactions among colony type, distance, and sampling date; however, when there were significant differences, mite numbers were always lower in 100 m apiaries than 10 m apiaries. These findings pose the possibility that Varroa populations are resource regulated at a landscape scale: near-neighbor colonies constitute reproductive resource for mites in the form of additional bee brood.

中文翻译：

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蜜蜂Apis mellifera群落之间的距离在景观尺度上调节Varroa destructor的种群

蜜蜂的菌落间距离显着影响寄生螨破坏瓦螨的菌落数。我们建立了 15 个养蜂场，每个养蜂场由两个蜂群组成。每个蜂房对被分配了 0、10 或 100 m 的菌落间距离。使菌落几乎没有螨虫，然后每对中的一个菌落接种 300 只雌性螨虫（螨虫供体菌落），而另一个未接种（螨虫受体菌落）。经过 4 个月的监测，全模型分析表明，蜂群间隔 100 m 的养蜂场的平均螨虫数量低于 0 或 10 m 的养蜂场。菌落类型、距离和采样日期之间存在交互作用；然而，当存在显着差异时，100 m 养蜂场的螨虫数量总是低于 10 m 养蜂场。