Stan Standler worries about varroatosis in non apis mellifera: quite rightly!
From a Dutch newspaper I remember a report of a bumblebee-nest with varroa
mites.
The problem is: in which way can non apis mellifera be infected by varroa
mites? One possibility might be that robber (bumble) bees can bring OUT mites
after 'visiting' a heavily infected honeybee colony. I don't think there are
honeybees robbering bumblebee-nests.
What about the role of alarmpheromones (and 1-octanol as most repellant
substance)? A research from Germany indicates that varroa mites leave a
honeybee when stung or contaminated with alarm-pheromones.
Another question: do bumblebees really suffer from varroatosis; how long is
the duration of the capped brood stage; do they have a cleaning-behaviour to
cope with the mites, like apis cerana?
Maybe there are some answers
regards
francois
e-mail: [log in to unmask]