Haplotype Affiliation of Varroa Destructor in Selected Locations From Poland and Ukraine

The virulence patterns observed in viruses transmitted by Varroa destructor implied a potential association of these honey bee pests in Poland with the Korean haplotype. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that this hypothesis lacked direct verification. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the haplotype affiliation of V. destructor mites infesting bees in Poland and Ukraine. Adult females were collected from drone brood from honey bee colonies maintained in the apiary at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland, and the apiary in Synevyr National Park in Ukraine. The haplotype affiliation was determined through the sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (CO I; 929 bp) fragment. Based on the phylogenetic comparison with 84% bootstrap support, the V. destructor females from both locations were confirmed to represent three haplotypes: Korean 1 (AmK1-1), Korean 2 (AmK1-2), and Chinese 4 (AmK1-4). They are the most virulent types of this parasite worldwide and in Poland. Concurrently, the present study confirms that the Synevyr National Park in Ukraine is isolated from alien bee subspecies, but is not free from alien parasites.