Age-performance and intensity of grooming behavior toward Varroa destructor in resistant and susceptible Apis mellifera colonies

Grooming behavior confers resistance to honey bees against Varroa destructor , being of interest to social immunity studies and breeding programs. The objective of this study was to characterize at the individual level the grooming behavior of mite-resistant (R) and susceptible (S) A. mellifera stoc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Apidologie 2022-10, Vol.53 (5), Article 59
Main Authors: Russo, Romina M., Landi, Lucas, Muntaabski, Irina, Liendo, María C., Pietronave, Hernán, Merke, Julieta, Rodríguez, Graciela A., Palacio, María A., Basilio, Alicia, Lanzavecchia, Silvia B., Scannapieco, Alejandra C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apis mellifera
Bees
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Entomology
Grooming
Life Sciences
Mites
Original Article
Thorax
Varroa destructor
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Summary:Grooming behavior confers resistance to honey bees against Varroa destructor , being of interest to social immunity studies and breeding programs. The objective of this study was to characterize at the individual level the grooming behavior of mite-resistant (R) and susceptible (S) A. mellifera stocks from Argentina. Assays were performed in experimental arenas by applying two treatments to nurse bees: (1) placing a V. destructor mite on the bee’s thorax and (2) touching the bee with a paintbrush. Grooming reactions were recorded on bees from both stocks at the ages of 6, 10, and 14 days after emergence. R bees exhibited lower time of first response against the mite, performed more cleaning attempts, and used all their legs with a higher probability compared to S bees. The same pattern was evident when younger and older bees from the R stock were compared. The results demonstrate that bee age and genetic origin are critical factors of grooming behavior in honey bees.
ISSN:0044-8435
1297-9678
DOI:10.1007/s13592-022-00971-0