GRE Reading Comprehension
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Source: XDF
One advantage of breeding African bees with other bee types (Africanization) may be resistance to the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni, a major threat to modern beekeeping. In parts of Europe, this mite is devastating honeybees and killing many colonies despite preventive measures by beekeepers. But in Brazil Varroa jacobsoni has been present in Africanized bees since 1972 without the loss of a single colony, even though beekeepers there undertook no preventive measures. The mites lay eggs within the brood cells of immature bees, and developing mites feed on the hemolymph (blood) of bee pupae. But fewer mites reproduce in Africanized bees than in European bees. Some researchers point out that this resistance may be related to the Africanized worker bee's shorter development period, which prevents some mites from reaching maturity. Recently the mite has become a serious problem in colonies of European bees in North America. Africanization of these bees may be the best safeguard against this parasite.
The author cites all of the following as evidence that Africanized bees' resistance to Varroa jacobsoni is superior to that of European bees:
- A Varroa jacobsoni is killing many bee colonies in Europe.
- B Beekeepers in Brazil have not used preventive measures to protect their colonies.
- C At least some European bee colonies have been saved by preventive measures.