We manipulated the mite’s olfactory perception by preventing them from perceiving volatiles from the honeybees using their forelegs such that they will need to rely on other organs for chemo-perception. To do so, we varnished their forelegs with Majorelle Blue nail polish (No.495, GA-DE Cosmetics, Israel) and compared their behaviors with unvarnished mites according to Häußermann et al.

By mechanically blocking the main olfactory organ on Varroa forelegs by varnishing with nail polish, we were able to show that other sensory organs cannot significantly compensate chemosensory abilities required for mite’s host selection, identification as well as reproduction. In fact, we found that mites with blocked forelegs had a significantly lower ability to reach a host bee than those with varnished idiosoma and unvarnished control. Furthermore, fewer foreleg blocked mites were feeding on the nurse bees and their reproduction in the brood cells was significantly impaired. The inhibition of reproduction was also reflected in altered expression levels of vitellogenin and vitellogenin receptor genes in foreleg-blocked mites.

How Crucial is the Functional Pit Organ for the Varroa Mite?
BT Nganso, K Mani, Y Altman, A Rafaeli, V Soroker - Insects, 2020

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