The Role of Honey Bee Derived Aliphatic Esters in the Host-Finding Behavior of Varroa destructor

Simple Summary Honey bees provide essential pollination services for many agricultural crops and wild plants. However, honey bee health is at risk. As an obligate ectoparasite of honey bees, Varroa destructor has been causing huge damage to the worldwide Western honey bee colonies since the host shift from its original host, the Eastern honey bees. For years, a lot of effort has been made to control this parasite; however, more efficient and safer methods are still urgently needed. The current study also aimed to contribute to the Varroa mitigation by seeking the potential compounds that affected the host-finding behavior of Varroa mites. By profiling the headspace volatiles of honey bee larvae, four aliphatic esters were commonly identified from both worker and drone larvae of the original and new hosts. Among the esters, ethyl myristate was a novel compound and able to significantly attract the Varroa mites. The findings presented in this paper will deepen our understanding of the Varroa host finding behavior and provide new chemicals for the monitoring and control of V. destructor in the future. Varroa destructor is an obligate ectoparasite of honey bees and shifted from its original host Apis cerana to the new host Apis mellifera in the first half of the twentieth century. The host shift has resulted in a great threat to the health and survival of A. mellifera colonies worldwide. Chemical signals play a crucial role in all aspects of the Varroa life cycle, including host finding. However, the chemical cues that affect the host finding behavior of Varroa mites are still not fully understood. In this study, we systematically profiled the headspace volatiles of both worker and drone larvae of the two honey bee species by using solid phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS), and then used electrophysiological recording and Y-tube olfactometer bioassay to study the potential roles of the selected compounds. The chemical profiling showed that there were four aliphatic esters, ethyl myristate (EM), methyl palmitate (MP), ethyl palmitate (EP), and ethyl oleate (EO) commonly detected from all four types of larval hosts. Among them, EM was a new substance identified from honey bee headspace volatiles. Results from electrophysiological recordings indicated that all the aliphatic esters could elicit significant responses of Varroa pit organs on its forelegs. Moreover, behavioral analyses revealed that EM could significantly attract V. destructor at a medium dosage (10 mu g), while MP had no observable effect on the mites and both EP and EO were able to repel the parasites. Our findings suggest an important role of host-derived aliphatic esters in Varroa host finding, and provide new chemicals for Varroa monitoring and control.

Automated summary

Honey bees are important pollinators, but their health is threatened by Varroa destructor, a parasite that shifted to the Western honey bees from its original host, the Eastern honey bees. Despite efforts to control this parasite, more efficient and safer methods are needed. This study identified four aliphatic esters from honey bee larvae that affected the host-finding behavior of Varroa mites. Ethyl myristate was a novel compound that significantly attracted the mites. These findings deepen our understanding of Varroa host finding behavior and provide new chemicals for future monitoring and control of V. destructor.