作者:Nurit Eliash、Nitin Kumar Singh、Yosef Kamer、Govardhana Reddy Pinnelli、Erika Plettner、Victoria Soroker
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0106889
日期:——
Background The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, is considered to be one of the most significant threats to apiculture around the world. Chemical cues are known to play a significant role in the host-finding behavior of Varroa. The mites distinguish between bees from different task groups, and prefer nurses over foragers. We examined the possibility of disrupting the Varroa – honey bee interaction by targeting the mite's olfactory system. In particular, we examined the effect of volatile compounds, ethers of cis 5-(2′-hydroxyethyl) cyclopent-2-en-1-ol or of dihydroquinone, resorcinol or catechol. We tested the effect of these compounds on the Varroa chemosensory organ by electrophysiology and on behavior in a choice bioassay. The electrophysiological studies were conducted on the isolated foreleg. In the behavioral bioassay, the mite's preference between a nurse and a forager bee was evaluated. Principal findings We found that in the presence of some compounds, the response of the Varroa chemosensory organ to honey bee headspace volatiles significantly decreased. This effect was dose dependent and, for some of the compounds, long lasting (>1 min). Furthermore, disruption of the Varroa volatile detection was accompanied by a reversal of the mite's preference from a nurse to a forager bee. Long-term inhibition of the electrophysiological responses of mites to the tested compounds was a good predictor for an alteration in the mite's host preference. Conclusions These data indicate the potential of the selected compounds to disrupt the Varroa - honey bee associations, thus opening new avenues for Varroa control.
背景 外寄生性螨虫 Varroa destructor 被认为是全世界养蜂业面临的最大威胁之一。众所周知,化学线索在瓦氏螨寻找寄主的行为中起着重要作用。这种螨虫会区分不同任务群的蜜蜂,并且更喜欢哺育者而不是觅食者。我们研究了通过针对瓦氏螨的嗅觉系统来破坏瓦氏螨与蜜蜂相互作用的可能性。我们特别研究了挥发性化合物、顺式 5-(2′-羟乙基)环戊-2-烯-1-醇醚或二氢醌、间苯二酚或儿茶酚的影响。我们通过电生理学和选择生物测定法测试了这些化合物对 Varroa 化学感觉器官和行为的影响。电生理学研究是在离体的前肢上进行的。在行为生物测定中,对螨虫在哺育蜂和觅食蜂之间的偏好进行了评估。 主要研究结果 我们发现,在某些化合物存在的情况下,瓦氏螨化感器官对蜜蜂顶空挥发物的反应明显降低。这种效应与剂量有关,其中一些化合物的效应持续时间较长(>1 分钟)。此外,瓦氏螨挥发物检测中断的同时,瓦氏螨的偏好也从哺育蜂逆转为觅食蜂。螨虫对测试化合物的电生理反应的长期抑制是螨虫宿主偏好改变的良好预测。 结论 这些数据表明,所选化合物有可能破坏瓦氏螨与蜜蜂之间的联系,从而为瓦氏螨的控制开辟了新的途径。