>
> >Does that mean that doing freeze killing brood is not an accurate way of
> assessing VSH traits of a colony?
>

Freezing tests for FHK (freeze-killed hygiene), not necessarily VSH.  There
is a degree of correlation between the two, but they are not the same.

I was actually in discussion with a leading researcher on this subject this
morning.  We're both of the opinion that Fanny Mondet's model
<https://www.nature.com/articles/srep25444> may be the best explanation of
both VSH, FKH, and Page's "social apoptosis."

"This study investigates a long-standing question central to the success
and survival of honey bee colonies
infested with varroa: how do the worker bees that perform VSH behaviour
determine which brood to select
and sacrifice? Here we show that unique signatures clearly differentiate
targeted from non-targeted bees. Bees
sacrificed display either, extreme levels of KBV infection, which is
typical for targeted pre-pupae, or profoundly
abnormal pheromonal bouquets. As these bees are predicted to be highly
dysfunctional, their removal will have
minimal impact on the colony workforce. However, by sacrificing these
siblings, VSH bees disrupt the mite dur-
ing its reproductive cycle and reduce its reproductive success. Our
findings suggest two testable hypotheses: first,
that VSH is triggered by unusual pupal BEP profiles specifically associated
with varroa-infested brood and sec-
ond, that these altered BEP profiles are due to developmental delays caused
by specific varroa-transmitted virus
infections. Work is underway to test these hypotheses."


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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