Use of Metarhizium spp. in the biological control of varroa destructor in colonies of Apis mellifera: a systematic literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36560/19120262135Palavras-chave:
bees, entomopatogenic fungi, mite, biocontrolResumo
Varroa destructor infestation represents one of the main threats to global beekeeping, causing severe damage to Apis mellifera colonies. Given the increasing resistance of the mite to synthetic acaricides and the environmental impacts associated with these products, biological control has emerged as a promising alternative. This systematic literature review aimed to gather and analyze available studies on the use of entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Metarhizium for the control of V. destructor. Searches were conducted in July 2025 in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO databases. Articles written in English, Portuguese, and Spanish that applied Metarhizium spp. directly to A. mellifera colonies were included. Abstracts, literature reviews, books, book chapters, and grey literature were excluded. As a minimum quality criterion, only peer-reviewed articles published in indexed journals were selected. In total, 11 relevant studies were included, published between 2002 and 2021 by authors from eight different countries. The results indicate that Metarhizium spp. exhibit variable efficacy in inducing V. destructor mortality, influenced by factors such as fungal strain, humidity, temperature, application method, and formulation. Despite recent advances, challenges remain regarding the standardization of protocols and the feasibility of field application. It is concluded that Metarhizium spp. show potential for integrated varroa management; however, further studies are needed to assess their effectiveness under field conditions and their effects on bee colonies.
Referências
A. AHMED, Abdelaal; K. ABD-ELH, Hany. Efficacy of Two Fungus-based Biopesticide Against the Honeybee Ectoparasitic Mite, Varroa destructor. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, [s. l.], v. 16, n. 16, p. 819–825, 2013.
ALVES, S. B. et al. Effects of some insect pathogens on the Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hym., Apidae). Journal of Applied Entomology, [s. l.], v. 120, n. 1–5, p. 559–564, 1996.
ANDERSON, D.L.; TRUEMAN, J.W.H. Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species. Experimental & Applied Acarology, [s. l.], v. 24, n. 3, p. 165–189, 2000.
AW, Kimberly Moon San; HUE, Seow Mun. Mode of Infection of Metarhizium spp. Fungus and Their Potential as Biological Control Agents. Journal of Fungi, [s. l.], v. 3, n. 2, p. 30, 2017.
BAKER, Brian P.; GREEN, Thomas A.; LOKER, Ali J. Biological control and integrated pest management in organic and conventional systems. Biological Control, [s. l.], v. 140, p. 104095, 2020.
BISCHOFF, Joseph F.; REHNER, Stephen A.; HUMBER, Richard A. A multilocus phylogeny of the Metarhizium anisopliae lineage. Mycologia, [s. l.], v. 101, n. 4, p. 512–530, 2009.
BOAVENTURA, Heloiza Alves; QUINTELA, Eliane Dias. The multifunctionality of the fungus Metarhizium spp. and its use in Brazilian agriculture. Bragantia, [s. l.], v. 84, p. e20240183, 2025.
CELIKKOL, Elif; DOGAC, Ersin. The status of pyrethroid resistance mutation frequencies in Varroa destructor populations in the most important beekeeping areas of Türkiye. Experimental and Applied Acarology, [s. l.], v. 94, n. 2, p. 32, 2025.
CHANDLER, D. et al. Prospective Biological Control Agents of Varroa destructor n. sp., an Important Pest of the European Honeybee, Apis mellifera. Biocontrol Science and Technology, [s. l.], v. 11, n. 4, p. 429–448, 2001.
COSTA, Antonio Felix Da et al. Controle alternativo e biológico de pragas e fitopatógenos: uma década de contribuição. Pesquisa Agropecuária Pernambucana, [s. l.], v. 27, n. 2, p. e2742272022, 2022.
DRIVER, Felice; MILNER, Richard J.; TRUEMAN, John W.H. A taxonomic revision of Metarhizium based on a phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequence data. Mycological Research, [s. l.], v. 104, n. 2, p. 134–150, 2000.
FERNANDEZ FERRARI, Maria Celeste et al. Application of Metarhizium anisopliae as a potential biological control of Varroa destructor in Italy. Journal of Apicultural Research, [s. l.], v. 59, n. 4, p. 528–538, 2020.
GAO, Qiang et al. Genome Sequencing and Comparative Transcriptomics of the Model Entomopathogenic Fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and M. acridum. PLoS Genetics, [s. l.], v. 7, n. 1, p. e1001264, 2011.
HAMIDUZZAMAN, Mollah Md. et al. Entomopathogenic fungi as potential biocontrol agents of the ecto-parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and their effect on the immune response of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, [s. l.], v. 111, n. 3, p. 237–243, 2012.
HAN, Jennifer O. et al. Directed evolution of Metarhizium fungus improves its biocontrol efficacy against Varroa mites in honey bee colonies. Scientific Reports, [s. l.], v. 11, n. 1, p. 10582, 2021.
Downloads
Publicado
Como Citar
Edição
Seção
Licença
Copyright (c) 2025 Scientific Electronic Archives
Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
A revista se reserva o direito de fazer alterações nas regras originais, na ortografia e na ordem gramatical, a fim de manter o idioma de culto padrão, respeitando, no entanto, o estilo dos autores. Os artigos publicados são de propriedade da revista Scientific Electronic Archives, tornando-se sua reimpressão total ou parcial, sujeitos à autorização expressa da direção da revista. A fonte original da publicação deve ser mantida. Os originais não serão devolvidos aos autores. As opiniões expressas pelos autores dos artigos são de sua exclusiva responsabilidade.
The journal reserves the right to make changes to the original rules, spelling and grammatical order, in order to keep the language of worship default, respecting, however, the style of the authors. Articles published are the property of Scientific Electronic Archives magazine, becoming its total or partial reprint, subject to the express authorization of the direction of the journal. The original source of publication should be retained. The originals will not be returned to the authors. Opinions expressed by authors of articles are solely your responsibility.
This journal uses the License Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional.
Accepted 2025-11-18
Published 2025-12-16
