Varroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition
Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garn...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/1/66 |
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| Summary: | Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garnered global attention. To better understand the chemical ecology of this host–parasite relationship, we collected and characterized the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from <i>V. destructor</i> and used electroantennography (EAG) to record the responses of honey bee (<i>A. c. cerana</i> and <i>A. m. ligustica</i>) antennae to the different VOCs. Fifteen VOCs were detected from <i>V. destructor</i> using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which mainly contained ethyl palmitate, followed by isoamyl alcohol, nonanal, and ethyl oleate. The EAGs for ethyl palmitate were higher at the lowest stimulus loading (5 μg/μL in liquid paraffin) in <i>A. c. cerana</i> compared to <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, suggesting that <i>A. c. cerana</i> may have acute sensitivity to low concentrations of some VOCs from <i>V. destructor</i>. After exposure to ethyl palmitate for 1 h, the relative expression levels of <i>AcerCSP1</i> and <i>AcerOBP21</i> in <i>A. c. cerana</i> significantly increased, as well as the level of <i>AmelCSP1</i> in <i>A. m. ligustica</i>, while <i>AmelOBP8</i> showed no significant changes. The results indicate that the EAG response was influenced by the VOC composition and concentration. <i>A. c. cerana</i> tended to be more responsive than <i>A. m. ligustica</i> to the VOCs of <i>V. destructor</i>. Our findings offer a deeper understanding of how bees recognize <i>V. destructor</i>, potentially using ethyl palmitate as a chemical cue. |
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| ISSN: | 2218-273X |