Dipartimento di Biologia e Protezione delle Piante, Università degli Studi di Udine Via delle Scienze, 208 Udine, Italy.
Parasitology. 2010 May;137(6):967-73. doi: 10.1017/S0031182009991867. Epub 2010 Feb 15.
The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is the most important threat for apiculture in most bee-keeping areas of the world. The mite is carried to the bee brood cell, where it reproduces, by a nurse bee; therefore the selection of the bee stage by the parasite could influence its reproductive success. This study investigates the role of the cuticular hydrocarbons of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) in host-selection by the mite. Preliminary laboratory bioassays confirmed the preference of the varroa mite for nurse bees over pollen foragers. GC-MS analysis of nurse and pollen bees revealed differences in the cuticular hydrocarbons of the two stages; in particular, it appeared that pollen bees have more (Z)-8-heptadecene than nurse bees. Laboratory experiments showed that treatment of nurse bees with 100 ng of the pure compound makes them repellent to the varroa mite. These results suggest that the mite can exploit the differences in the cuticular composition of its host for a refined selection that allows it to reach a brood cell and start reproduction. The biological activity of the alkene encourages further investigations for the development of novel control techniques based on this compound.
寄生螨，瓦螨，是世界上大多数养蜂地区养蜂业最重要的威胁。螨虫通过工蜂携带到蜜蜂的育雏细胞中繁殖；因此，寄生虫对蜜蜂阶段的选择可能会影响其繁殖成功率。本研究调查了欧洲蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）的体壁碳氢化合物在螨虫宿主选择中的作用。初步实验室生物测定证实，瓦螨对育雏蜂的偏好超过了花粉觅食者。对育雏蜂和花粉蜂的 GC-MS 分析显示出两个阶段体壁碳氢化合物的差异；特别是花粉蜂比育雏蜂有更多的(Z)-8-十七碳烯。实验室实验表明，用 100ng 纯化合物处理育雏蜂会使它们对瓦螨有驱避作用。这些结果表明，螨虫可以利用其宿主体壁成分的差异进行精细选择，使其能够到达育雏细胞并开始繁殖。烯烃的生物活性鼓励进一步研究基于该化合物的新型控制技术的开发。
