The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of the most valuable pollinators worldwide. Over the last few decades, increased honey bee colony losses (Colony Collapse Disorder) have been reported, possibly as a result of a growing number of interacting threats, such as habitat losses, nutritional deficiencies, pesticides, pests and pathogens. In spite of the implementation of control strategies, the invasive parasitic mite Varroa destructor remains one of the main causes of colony losses in numerous countries. Indeed, after Varroa jumped the species barrier around the 1950s, from its native host Apis cerana (Asian honey bee) onto Apis mellifera (European honey bee) it spread globally. Currently only Australia and a few small, isolated islands are free of Varroa. The host–parasite interaction between honey bees (Apis mellifera) and the mite (Varroa destructor) is unusual and without acaricides, honey bee colonies typically die within 3 years of Varroa infestation. As a result, particularly in the Middle East, the constant use of acaricides is common and necessary. There are many available options to control Varroa mite populations in honey bee colonies and each option has advantages and disadvantages, but understanding the implications of each choice is an important part of decisionmaking. Doubtless, long-term application of chemicals significantly affects the colony and society health. An ideal option is using mite-resistant bees that can limit the reliance on chemicals for mite control. Genetic environmental factors have major effects on the survival of the Varroa destructor infested colonies and previous studies show that various bee stocks with mite-resistant traits have been developed. Literature suggests that honeybees may have the ability to response to genetic selection programs. Therefore, it would be wise to design appropriate breeding programs for genetic resistance based on the relevant traits (e. g. grooming and hygienic behavior). Optimizing a selection program requires knowledge of the mechanisms underlying resistance that can be further developed or improved in selected stocks and identifying genes and genome-wide markers associated with mite resistance in honey bees.
