GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF POPULATIONS OF HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera L.) AND DISTRIBUTION OF RNA-CONTAINING VIRUSES AT THE BACKGROUND OF EPIZOOTIA OF Varroa destructor ON THE TERRITORY OF UDMURTIA Alexander E. Kalashnikov*, Ivan V. Maslennikov**, Ludmila M. Kolbina**, Irina G. Udina* *N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics RAS **Udmurt Research Institute of Agriculture Abstract The bees of dark forest species (Apis mellifera mellifera L.) are winter-hardy. <...> Introgression of species reduces their immunity, thereby It was enhancing susceptibility bees to infection with ectoparasites, as well as distribution of various viral diseases. <...> Varroa destructor mite infestations on bees may predispose to infection by viruses. <...> We have presented data about population differentiation of bees of dark forest species in Udmurtia, which were obtained based on the study using PCR method, morphometric parameters (cubital index of wing) and estimation of variability in intergenic locus of the CO-I-COII of mtDNA. <...> Based on the analysis of the mtDNA the hybridization degree in samples of bees from Udmurtia 1UD_S and 5UD_S (maternal line) was 15.4 and 60.0%, respectively. <...> Sample 2D_S4UD_S meet the standards of dark forest bee species. <...> For all analyzed samples (1UD_S-5UD_S) obtained average rating of cubital index> 0.55. <...> These data confirmed the high probability of belonging of bees of sample data to the dark forest bee species. <...> However, the variability analysis (according to the length of the intergenic locus CO-I-CO-II) with Southern species hybridization was observed only in samples 2UD_S-4UD_S, whereas in the other samples 1UD_S 5UD_S hybridization has occurred. <...> This indicates a greater degree of reliability of molecular techniques in the evaluation of the degree of hybridization when samples of bees were studied. <...> In bees exposed to Varroa destructor defeat was detected deformed wing virus (DWV) (23,3% of families), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) and sacbrood bee virus (SBV) (13, 3%). <...> Keywords honey bee, Apis mellifera L., mitochondrial DNA, cubital index, deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, chronic paralysis virus, Varroa destructor Introduction The dark forest bee Apis mellifera mellifera L. and related subspecies of Central Russian bee breed was widespread in Russia <...>