Grooming as a major factor seems reasonable to me. In caring for an
observation hive in our nature center, I have on occasion observed a new
worker emerging from her cell. In each case two workers seemed to grab her
and rotated her while seeming to be biting her [the way I have seen dogs go
after ticks]. What I initially thought was an attack seems to have been an
extremely thorough grooming. There have been no signs of mites in the hive,
so the grooming may just have been a response built into the DNA of this
particular group of Italian honeybees.

John F. Mesinger
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