Honey bee hygienic behavior is a mechanism of disease resistance and a mode of defense against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman). Hygienic bees uncap and remove diseased and parasitized brood from the nest. The propagation of colonies that demonstrate resistance to chalkbrood and American foulbrood and that remove pupae infested by Varroa mites is becoming increasingly important.
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