Effect of colony odour upon attractiveness of bees (Apis mellifera) of same ages for Varroa jacobsoni
Author(s)
Bernhard Kraus
Abstract
The number of Varma jacobsoni in bee colonies has often been reported to vary within a wide range even among colonies located in the same apiary. Differential attractiveness of host bees might be one factor causing such differential infestation levels. V. jacobsoni is capable of distinguishing bees of different ages (Kraus et al., 1986). Since transfer of the mites between colonies is mostly caused by robbing (Sakofsi & Koeniger, 1989), even differences in attractiveness of bees of the same age might substantially influence the infestation rate of robbing bees and the number of mites invading a colony.
