Abstract
The most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as those stemming from infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood. Recent findings suggest that genes associated with worker bee olfactory perception play a central role in Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH). In this study, the odour sensitivity of Apis mellifera drones was examined through proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning. Individuals sensitive/insensitive to the two Varroa-parasitised-brood odours (extract-low and extract-high) were used for breeding. Twenty-one queens from a VSH-selected line (SelQ) and nineteen queens from a nonselected line (ConQ) were single-drone-inseminated with sperm from drones that showed either sensitivity (SenD+) or insensitivity (SenD−) to the two extracts. Individual VSH behaviour in a total of 5072 offspring of these combinations (SelQ × SenD+, SelQ× SenD−, ConQ × SenD+, ConQ × SenD−) was subsequently observed in a specially designed observation unit with infrared light. The results from the video observation were also separately examined, considering the genetic origin (VSH-selected or nonselected line) of the participating queens and drones. While the drone PER conditioning results were not significantly reflected in the VSH results of the respective offspring, the genetic origin of the participating queens/drones was crucial for VSH manifestation.
Highlights
The most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as those stemming from infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood
The aim of this multistage experiment was to assess the link between Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) and the drone’s olfactory sensitivity, observed through conditioning the drones to an extract of Varroa-parasitised brood
This is the first conditioning experiment with drones using an extract from Varroa-parasitised brood
Summary
The most effective strategy against brood diseases, such as those stemming from infestation by the mite Varroa destructor, is the early detection and removal of sick brood. Recent findings suggest that genes associated with worker bee olfactory perception play a central role in Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH). The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor plays a dominant role in colony losses of the European honeybee Apis mellifera[1,2,3]. Hygienic behaviour consists of detecting, uncapping, and removing damaged b rood[16,17,18]. SMR was renamed Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH), as the observed suppression was found to be the result of removing reproductive mites and not of inhibiting reproduction of V. destructor in resistant c olonies[21,24,25]. Instead of removing the parasitised brood, workers
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