MOLECULAR CONFIRMATION OF THE MITE Varroa destructor ISOLATED FROM HONEY BEES IN 15 IRAQI PROVINCES

Varroa destructor was identified based on the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. DNA was extracted from 15 Varroa mite samples collected from 15 provinces in Iraq. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using primer set targeting COI gene. Nucleotide sequence analyses DNA amplified confirmed that all Varroa mite isolates belong to the species V. destructor. Neighbor-Joining tree grouped the mite isolates into different clades indicating they are variable. Sequence comparison showed Varroa isolates 1 and 10 were highly diverged from the equivalent GenBank isolates suggesting they are new, To the best of knowledge, V. destructor is the dominant species in Iraq.