# Scent cues and hygienic behaviour



## Monie (Feb 13, 2008)

Dr. Spivak's lecture touched on this. One of her students was doing research on hygienic behavior via scent cues. Interesting stuff!


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Interesting info on how varroa mites use pheromones to camouflage themselves from the bees. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE4emUMyOWs


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Amazing! After 3 hours the varroa are authentic ghosts inside the hive.


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## apis maximus (Apr 4, 2011)

Michael Palmer said:


> Interesting info on how varroa mites use pheromones to camouflage themselves from the bees.


Chemical warfare at its finest.

*Mr. Palmer*, would you please share your thoughts on what the implications of this research brings to the current understanding of how one "treats" for mites? 
As in the "stuff" we add or use in the hive, in "treating" for mites. Thank you sir!

In the Q&A part of the presentation, a gentleman in the back asked about the implication of these findings towards the use of VSH bees. Clearly, a different set of interactions. Mites might remain "chemically" undetectable, but the damaged bee larvae becomes itself a whole new set of chemical cues that the VSH bees potentially detect and act accordingly.

*Eduardo*, thanks for bringing up another interesting topic.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Can't really say. I guess if one were trying to select for the grooming behavior, this might have some negative influence. I would say that if you treat for varroa, you will be looking at varroa populations and DWV crawlers, etc, and will continue as before. Treating if the colonies need to be treated.


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## pmshoney (Dec 30, 2014)

Michael Palmer said:


> Interesting info on how varroa mites use pheromones to camouflage themselves from the bees.
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE4emUMyOWs



I forgot about this video very good video I watched it just a few weeks ago.

If you have not watched this take the time to watch its worth the time.


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## Dragiša-Peđa Ranković (Feb 24, 2015)

camouflage themselves- aint my opinion

If you eat pork you will smell like pork.
If you eat beef you will smell like beef.

We can t smell it, but bee can.
We are talking about a bees.

Varoa suck "blood" of a bee. Of course, that varoa mite will smell identical as that bee.
Blood contain feromon.
That research show metabolism of Varoa.

How quickly Varoa suck blood of a bee and consequently began to smell like a bee.

They are ghost in the hive but they are low system organism too. 

WE should not be spooky.


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## Bill_B (Aug 21, 2014)

Dragiša-Peđa Ranković;1226211 said:


> Varoa suck "blood" of a bee. Of course, that varoa mite will smell identical as that bee.
> Blood contain feromon.
> That research show metabolism of Varoa.
> 
> ...


If you watch the video linked above, she says that they tested this hypothesis by washing dead mites (to rid them of their smell) then placing the dead mites on living bees. After some time, the mites still acquired the scent of the host bee. So it's not blood transference, but rather, something passive, perhaps the chemical makeup of the mite's cuticle.


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## Dragiša-Peđa Ranković (Feb 24, 2015)

Thank you Bill_B,

YOU ARE RIGHT

otherwise i wouldnt watch it to the end.

MY MISTAKE .

I have no excuse.


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

Bill_B said:


> If you watch the video linked above, she says that they tested this hypothesis by washing dead mites (to rid them of their smell) then placing the dead mites on living bees. After some time, the mites still acquired the scent of the host bee. So it's not blood transference, but rather, something passive, perhaps the chemical makeup of the mite's cuticle.


If you put your dirty sweatsocks on your feet will smell the same as they did yesterday. Just my hypothesis, but please don't test it around me.


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## Dragiša-Peđa Ranković (Feb 24, 2015)

This is my apology

http://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/pdf/2001/03/aumeier.pdf


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