2019 journal article
Varroa destructor feeds primarily on honey bee fat body tissue and not hemolymph
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 116(5), 1792–1801.
author keywords: Varroa; apiculture; insect physiology; honey bee; fat body
MeSH headings : Animals; Bees / parasitology; Diet; Fat Body / parasitology; Hemolymph / parasitology; Host-Parasite Interactions / physiology; Reproduction / physiology; Varroidae / pathogenicity
TL;DR:
The work shows that this parasite is not consuming hemolymph, as has been the accepted view, but damages host bees by consuming fat body, a tissue roughly analogous to the mammalian liver, which strongly suggest that Varroa are exploiting the fat body as their primary source of sustenance.
(via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being
(Web of Science)
15. Life on Land
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: February 18, 2019
SignificanceVarroa destructorcauses considerable damage to honey bees and subsequently the field of apiculture through just one process: feeding. For five decades, we have believed that these mites consume hemolymph like a tick consumes blood, and thatVarroacause harm primarily by vectoring viruses. Our work shows that they cause damage more directly.Varroaexternally digest and consume fat body tissue rather than blood. These findings explain the failure of some previous attempts at developing effectively targeted treatment strategies forVarroacontrol. Furthermore, it provides some explanation for the diverse array of debilitating pathologies associated withVarroathat were unexplained by hemolymph removal alone. Our work provides a path forward for the development of novel treatment strategies forVarroa.