Location: Bee Research Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-21000-291-076-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2023
End Date: Jun 30, 2025
Objective:
Parasites and pathogens cause incredible losses in food production. Crops reliant upon commercial pollination services are particularly susceptible when honey bee colony losses threaten the availability of those services. Since the late 2000s the United States has experienced historically high winter, and summertime losses of commercial honey bee colonies, sometimes approaching 40%. Varroa destructor and the viruses it vectors are considered the leading cause of colony loss, but new findings have shown their ideal hosts were mis-identified over the last 30 years of research. These new findings fill a gap in knowledge paving the way to make a bait trap for mite control. To do this, fundamental information understanding which host volatiles mites are attracted to, the odorant binding proteins of the vector, and the genes underlying those proteins need to be uncovered.
Approach:
1. Identify key characteristics of the most highly attractive hosts to Varroa destructor.
2. Determine if pathogens are an influential factor affecting host cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and Varroa attraction.
3. Screen candidate proteins are important in mite olfaction, and then use RNA-interference and bioassays to identify impacts of gene knockdown on host seeking.
