Old strategies as modern solutions, shook swarming reduced Varroa destructor infestation rates of managed honey bee, Apis mellifera , colonies

Transferring adult honey bees from the combs of their hive to a new empty hive is a management strategy known as “shook swarming” that has been used by beekeepers in a variety of contexts since as early as 1796. Varroa destructor are dependent on mature brood to reproduce and shook swarming breaks the colony’s brood cycle by separating the adult bees from the brood developing in the old combs. We investigated the efficacy and practicality of shook swarming to mitigate negative health effects of Varroa in honey bee colonies by reducing Varroa infestation rates. New colonies were founded via traditional splitting or the shook swarm technique either with or without comb in the new hive. All colonies were given ∼1 month to establish and then assessed for foraging activity, colony strength, and Varroa infestation rate. We observed a significant decrease in the Varroa infestation rates of colonies that experienced shook swarming compared with those that had not. Colonies established via shook swarming had lower colony strength scores but maintained similar relative foraging activity as traditional splits. Our findings indicate that shook swarming is a viable, non-chemical control strategy for managing Varroa infestations and should be considered in long-term management plans where colonies undergo shook swarming aligned with honey production and/or pollination service delivery.