We present data for hives treated with five different acaricides; Apiguard (thymol), Apistan (tau-fluvalinate), Checkmite (coumaphos), Miteaway (formic acid) and ApiVar (amitraz). The results indicate that thymol, coumaphos and formic acid are able to alter some metabolic responses. These include detoxification gene expression pathways three genes presented significant down regulation [including] vitellogenin, which encodes a pleiotropic protein that affects many physiological processes including immunosenescence Vitellogenin is implicated in early forager behavior and consequently shorter longevity, and also in the down regulation of some immune system pathways observed Vitellogenin may modulate longevity as well. Vitellogenin knockdown reduces the life span of honey bees in part by inducing an early shift from nursing to the short-lived forager stage, suppressing juvenile hormone. Acaricide-induced lifespan reduction may be very harmful, potentially compromising the sustainability of the whole colony. Please cite this article in press as: Boncristiani, H., et al. Direct effect of acaricides on pathogen loads and gene expression levels of honey bee Apis mellifera. Journal of Insect Physiology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.12.011 *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm