Abstract
The health of the honey bee Apis mellifera is challenged by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, and the numerous harmful pathogens it vectors. Existing pesticide-based Varroa controls are not sustainable. In contrast, one promising approach for improved honey bee health is the breeding of hygienic bees, capable of detecting and removing brood that is parasitized or diseased. In three experiments we find evidence to support the hypothesis that stock-specific chemical brood signals are induced by Varroa and Deformed Wing Virus, and elicit hygienic response in the honey bee. By collecting, analyzing, and running bioassays involving mite-infested and control brood extracts from three honey bee breeding stocks we: 1) found evidence that a transferrable chemical signal for hygienic behavior is present in Varroa-infested brood extracts, 2) identified ten stock-specific hydrocarbons as candidates of hygienic signaling, and 3) found that two of these hydrocarbons linked to Varroa and DWV were also elevated in brood targeted for hygienic behavior. These findings expand our understanding of honey bee chemical communication, and facilitate the development of improved hygienic selection tools to breed honey bees with greater resistance to Varroa and associated pathogens.
Highlights
While demand for crop pollinators increases[1,2], the health of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is declining worldwide[3]
In Experiment 1 we investigated whether transferring extracts of Varroa-infested Varroa Sensitive Hygienic bees (VSH) brood onto brood cell caps elicited hygienic behavior in a VSH colony, addressing our first prediction
Though the majority of the chemicals that increased significantly in response to stress were conserved between at least two honey bee stocks, our results indicate that the stressor that induces a chemical response may differ according to stock selection methods
Summary
While demand for crop pollinators increases[1,2], the health of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is declining worldwide[3]. After the cell has been capped by nurse bees, the mite emerges and begins to feed on the larva[9] The mite lays her first egg approximately 70 hours after capping of the honey bee cell. Varroa mites vector honey bee pathogens[13,14,15,16], and have been associated with the amplification and increased susceptibility of honey bees to viruses[13,16,17,18]. Breeding programs have enhanced Varroa resistance in some honey bee stocks through selection for hygienic behavior Two such hygienic stocks are the Minnesota Hygienic bees (HYG), selected from high-performing unselected (UNS) colonies based on the removal of freeze-killed brood[27], and the Varroa Sensitive Hygienic bees (VSH), selected from high-performing UNS colonies based on apparent suppression of mite reproduction[28]
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