Review of Bee Health

Varroa Mites Use Chemical Camouflage to Mimic Honey Bee Scent

June 8, 2015

Editor’s Note: The complete study, “Varroa destructor changes its cuticular hydrocarbons to mimic new hosts,” by Y. Le Conte, Z. Y. Huang, M. Roux, Z. J. Zeng, J.-P. Christidès, A.-G. Bagnères is available here. The study’s raw data is available here.

From: Entemology Today

Varroa mites, one of the most serious threats to honey bees worldwide, are infiltrating hives by smelling like bees, according to a new study appearing in Biology Letters.

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Huang and his team showed that Varroa mites are able to change their surface chemicals to mimic an entirely different species of honey bee. Further, they also revealed that the mites were able to make these changes rather quickly — adapting in days rather than evolving over generations.

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