Seasonal Variability in the Prevalence of DWV Strains in Individual Colonies of European Honeybees in Hawaii

Abstract

The most prevalent viral pathogen of honeybees is Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and its two most widely studied and common master-variants are DWV-A and DWV-B. The prevalence of DWV variants in the UK and in the US is changing, with the prevalence of the DWV-A strain declining and DWV-B increasing over time. In 2012, only DWV-A was detected on the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu. In this study we focused on a colony-level survey of DWV strains in a single apiary and examined the prevalence of DWV variants over the course of two years. In 2018 and 2019, a total of 16 colonies underwent viral testing in January, May, and September. Of those 16 colonies, four were monitored in both 2018 and 2019. Individual colonies showed variability of DWV master variants throughout the sampling period. DWV-A was consistently detected; however, the detection of DWV-B was variable across time in individual colonies. Ultimately, this study demonstrated a seasonal variation in both viral prevalence and load for DWV-B, providing a perspective on the dynamic nature of DWV master variants emerging in Hawaii.

Keywords

• colony-level surveillance
• viral load fluctuations
• prevalence dynamics
• Hawaiian Islands