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Varroa resistance in Apis cerana: a review (2023)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., & Martin, S. (2023). Varroa resistance in Apis cerana: a review. Apidologie, 54, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-022-00977-8

Varroa is a major world-wide pest to Western honey bees (Apis mellifera), causing huge ongoing losses of colonies every year. Conversely, the Eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) is less vulnerable to the mite having existed alongside it over a long evolu... Read More about Varroa resistance in Apis cerana: a review.

Recapping and mite removal behaviour in Cuba: home to the world's largest population of Varroa-resistant European honeybees (2022)
Journal Article
Luis, A., Grindrod, I., Webb, G., Piñeiro, A., & Martin, S. (2022). Recapping and mite removal behaviour in Cuba: home to the world's largest population of Varroa-resistant European honeybees. Scientific reports, 12(1), 15597. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19871-5

The Varroa destructor ectoparasitic mite has spread globally and in conjunction with Deformed Wing Virus has killed millions of honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies. This has forced Northern hemisphere beekeepers into using miticides to avoid mass colo... Read More about Recapping and mite removal behaviour in Cuba: home to the world's largest population of Varroa-resistant European honeybees.

Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt (2022)
Journal Article
de Miranda, J., Brettell, L., Chejanovsky, N., Childers, A., Dalmon, A., Deboutte, W., …Ball, B. (2022). Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt. Virology Journal, 19(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01740-2

In 1977, a sample of diseased adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) from Egypt was found to contain large amounts of a previously unknown virus, Egypt bee virus, which was subsequently shown to be serologically related to deformed wing virus (DWV). By seq... Read More about Cold case : the disappearance of Egypt bee virus, a fourth distinct master strain of deformed wing virus linked to honeybee mortality in 1970’s Egypt.

Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens (2021)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Martin, S., Riegler, M., & Cook, J. (2021). Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 186, 107670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107670

Island ecosystems, which often contain undescribed insects and small populations of single island endemics, are at risk from diverse threats. The spread of pathogens is a major factor affecting not just pollinator species themselves, but also posing... Read More about Vulnerability of island insect pollinator communities to pathogens.

Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents? (2021)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., & Martin, S. (2021). Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1956), 20211375. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1375

The near-globally distributed ecto-parasitic mite of the Apis mellifera honey bee, Varroa destructor, has formed a lethal association with Deformed wing virus, a once rare and benign RNA virus. In concert the two have killed millions of wild and mana... Read More about Parallel evolution of Varroa resistance in honey bees; a common mechanism across continents?.

Deformed wing virus variant shift from 2010 to 2016 in managed and feral UK honey bee colonies (2021)
Journal Article
Kevill, J., Stainton, K., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2021). Deformed wing virus variant shift from 2010 to 2016 in managed and feral UK honey bee colonies. Archives of Virology, 166(10), 2693-2702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-021-05162-3

Deformed wing virus (DWV) has been linked to the global decline of honey bees. DWV exists as three master variants (DWV-A, DWV-B, and DWV-C), each with differing outcomes for the honey bee host. Research in the USA showed a shift from DWV-A to DWV-B... Read More about Deformed wing virus variant shift from 2010 to 2016 in managed and feral UK honey bee colonies.

Ten years of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) in Hawaiian honey bees (Apis mellifera), the dominant DWV-A variant is potentially being replaced by variants with a DWV-B coding sequence (2021)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., Kevill, J., Villalobos, E., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2021). Ten years of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) in Hawaiian honey bees (Apis mellifera), the dominant DWV-A variant is potentially being replaced by variants with a DWV-B coding sequence. Viruses, 13(6), e969. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13060969

The combination of Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Varroa destructor is arguably one of the greatest threats currently facing western honey bees, Apis mellifera. Varroa’s association with DWV has decreased viral diversity and increased loads of DWV wit... Read More about Ten years of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) in Hawaiian honey bees (Apis mellifera), the dominant DWV-A variant is potentially being replaced by variants with a DWV-B coding sequence.

Elevated recapping behaviour and reduced Varroa destructor reproduction in natural Varroa resistant Apis mellifera honey bees from the UK (2021)
Journal Article
Hawkins, G., & Martin, S. (2021). Elevated recapping behaviour and reduced Varroa destructor reproduction in natural Varroa resistant Apis mellifera honey bees from the UK. Apidologie, 52(3), 647-657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-021-00852-y

Varroa destructor mites remain a major threat to Apis mellifera honey bees, yet many populations across the world have naturally evolved survivorship to infestation. Here, we investigated the roles of recapping and mite reproduction in natural Varroa... Read More about Elevated recapping behaviour and reduced Varroa destructor reproduction in natural Varroa resistant Apis mellifera honey bees from the UK.

Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells (2021)
Journal Article
Grindrod, I., & Martin, S. (2021). Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells. Journal of Apicultural Research, 60(5), 707-716. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2021.1890419

Varroa destructor is arguably the most important threat to Apis mellifera honey bees. Despite the recentness of the invasion of Varroa, A. mellifera colonies naturally resistant to the mite are being observed in a growing number of populations across... Read More about Spatial distribution of recapping behaviour indicates clustering around Varroa infested cells.

Deformed wing virus prevalence and load in honeybees in South Africa (2020)
Journal Article
de Souza, F., Allsopp, M., & Martin, S. (2021). Deformed wing virus prevalence and load in honeybees in South Africa. Archives of Virology, 166, 237-241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-020-04863-5

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is an emerging honeybee pathogen that has appeared across the globe in the past 40 years. When transmitted by the parasitic varroa mite, it has been associated with the collapse of millions of colonies throughout the North... Read More about Deformed wing virus prevalence and load in honeybees in South Africa.

RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation (2020)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2020). RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation. Viruses, 12(11), e1229. https://doi.org/10.3390/v12111229

The global spread of a parasitic mite (Varroa destructor) has resulted in Deformed wing virus (DWV), a previously rare pathogen, now dominating the viromes in honey bees and contributing to large-scale honey bee colony losses. DWV can be found in div... Read More about RNAseq of Deformed wing virus and other honey bee-associated viruses in eight insect taxa with or without Varroa infestation.

Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps (2020)
Journal Article
Highfield, A., Kevill, J., Mordecai, G., Hunt, J., Henderson, S., Sauvard, D., …Schroeder, D. (2020). Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps. Viruses, 12(6), 607. https://doi.org/10.3390/v12060607

Transmission of honey bee viruses to other insects, and vice versa, has previously been reported and the true ecological importance of this phenomenon is still being realized. Members of the family Vespidae interact with honey bees via predation or t... Read More about Detection of Moku virus and replication in honey bees and social wasps.

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata : Varroidae) (2020)
Journal Article
Harada, R., Yoshioka, M., Okuyama, H., Kato, M., Martin, S., & Takahashi, J. (2020). Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata : Varroidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 5(1), 635-636. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1711219

Varroa destructor is a parasite mite of the eastern honey bee Apis cerana, which is native to Asia. The European honey bee Apis mellifera was imported to Asia from Europe and the USA for apiculture in the 19th century. In a short period of time, V. d... Read More about Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata : Varroidae).

Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Hawkins, G., Brettell, L., Reece, N., Correia-Oliveira, M., & Allsopp, M. (2020). Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations. Apidologie, 51(3), 369-381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-019-00721-9

Globalization has facilitated the spread of emerging pests such as the Varroa destructor mite, resulting in the near global distribution of the pest. In South African and Brazilian honey bees, mite-resistant colonies appeared within a decade; in Euro... Read More about Varroa destructor reproduction and cell re-capping in mite-resistant Apis mellifera populations.

Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., Drijfhout, F., & Hart, A. (2019). Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 45(9), 735-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01103-2

It is well established that many ant species have evolved qualitatively distinct species-specific chemical profile that are stable overlarge geographical distances. Within these species profiles quantitative variations in the chemical profile allows... Read More about Phenotypic plasticity of nest-mate recognition cues in formica exsecta ants.

Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects (2019)
Journal Article
Martin, S., & Brettell, L. (2019). Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects. Annual Review of Virology, 6(1), 49-69. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015700

Deformed wing virus (DWV) has become the most well-known, widespread, and intensively studied insect pathogen in the world. Although DWV was previously present in honeybee populations, the arrival and global spread of a new vector, the ectoparasitic... Read More about Deformed wing virus in honeybees and other insects.

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii (2019)
Journal Article
Takahashi, J., Okuyama, H., & Martin, S. (2019). Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii. Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 4(1), 1522-1523. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1601516

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a major honeybee pest that was accidentally transported to the Hawaii Islands, USA. The mitochondrial genome of A. tumida was identified as a 15,198 bp circular mo... Read More about Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the small hive beetle Aethina tumida (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Hawaii.

DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US (2019)
Journal Article
Kevill, J., de Souza, F., Sharples, C., Oliver, R., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2019). DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US. Viruses, 11(5), 426. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050426

The strong association between Varroa destructor and Deformed wing virus (DWV), and high overwintering colony losses (OCL) of honey bees is well established. Three DWV master variants: DWV-A, B and C, have been described. However, their various roles... Read More about DWV-A lethal to honey bees (Apis mellifera) : a colony level survey of DWV variants (A, B & C) in England, Wales and 32 states across the US.

RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities (2019)
Journal Article
Brettell, L., Schroeder, D., & Martin, S. (2019). RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities. Viruses, 11(5), 397. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050397

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is the most abundant viral pathogen of honey bees and has been associated with large-scale colony losses. DWV and other bee-associated RNA viruses are generalists capable of infecting diverse hosts. Here we used RNAseq analy... Read More about RNAseq analysis reveals virus diversity within Hawaiian apiary insect communities.