Do Varroa mites communicate with each other?
- No, they live solitarily both on bees and in the brood.
- Yes, by high-frequency vibrations they detect their conspecifics.
- Yes, through the release of pheromones.
- Yes, through changes in the coloration of their cuticle, with immature stages being whitish and adults reddish-brown.
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Correct answer: 3
Varroa destructor is not only capable of mimicking the chemical composition of its host’s cuticle in order to evade the bees’ defence strategies, but also releases pheromones that enable communication with conspecifics. In this way, it can select brood cells that are about to be capped and that do not yet host another reproductive female. The level of pheromones emitted by a single parasite is therefore low, and bees do not detect it (or detect it poorly). In addition, the faecal accumulations at the bottom of parasitised cells are highly attractive in drawing males and their sisters. The mating behaviour of Varroa destructor is triggered by a sexual pheromone.
See also:
Varroa, king of cuticular mimicry