Observation of Varroa destructor behavior in capped worker brood of Africanized honey bees

The behavioral activity of Varroa destructor was observed using transparent cells. Mite oviposition started at 45.0 ± 25.0 h post capping, followed by the next eggs laid at regular 27.3 ± 2.0 h intervals. On the prepupa, mites were found to feed often and there was no preference for a specific segme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental & applied acarology 2012-11, Vol.58 (3), p.279-290
Main Authors: Calderón, Rafael A, Chaves, Guisella, Sánchez, Luis A, Calderón, Rolando
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africanized honey bees
Animal Ecology
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Animals
Apis mellifera
Bees - parasitology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cell walls
Defecation
Eggs
Entomology
Feces
Feeding
Feeding Behavior
Female
Host-Parasite Interactions
insect larvae
Larva - parasitology
Larvae
Life Sciences
Male
Mites
Oviposition
pupae
Reproduction
Varroa destructor
Varroidae - physiology
Workers
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Summary:The behavioral activity of Varroa destructor was observed using transparent cells. Mite oviposition started at 45.0 ± 25.0 h post capping, followed by the next eggs laid at regular 27.3 ± 2.0 h intervals. On the prepupa, mites were found to feed often and there was no preference for a specific segment as a feeding site. During the pupal stage the mite fed less often and almost always at the same point. Varroa showed a preference for defecation in the posterior part of the cell. A significant association was observed between the position of the feeding point in the pupa and the defecation site on the cell wall. Displacement behavior was observed in 71 % of the infested bee larvae and a major change in the free space available for varroa in the cell occurred when the prepupa molted into a pupa.
ISSN:0168-8162
1572-9702
DOI:10.1007/s10493-012-9579-0