A country-wide survey ofVarroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of honey bees, in Nigeria: a preliminary report

Through a country-wide survey, the present study aimed at investigating the extent of the spread of Varroa destructor in Nigeria. To this end, a total of 122 Apis mellifera colonies from 13 localities were sampled in regions without previous assessment of the mite. Infestation and prevalence rates were estimated using the soap washing method. Varroa mites were found in 87% of the sampled colonies with a parasitic load ranging from 0.20 to 16.35 mites per 100 adult bees per colony. Given the presence of the mite with a very high prevalence in all the sampled localities and the fact that each of the states from which the mite is not yet reported is next to at least one occupied state, it is very likely that V. destructor spread throughout Nigeria. Future molecular analyses can evaluate whether V. destructor in Nigeria stems from a single source or additional introductions.