Do varroa mites communicate with each other?
- No, they live in a completely solitary way in the colony.
- Yes, through high-frequency vibrations between conspecifics.
- Yes, through the emission and the perception of pheromones.
- Yes, through changes in the colour of their covering.
Show answer
Correct answer: 3.
Yes, through the emission and the perception of pheromones.
Why?
Varroa mites do not communicate like bees, with dances or a complex social organisation. But they use chemical signals. Certain pheromones play in particular a role in the reproductive behaviour of the mites inside the cells of capped brood.
What to understand
In the hive, varroa depends strongly on the chemical signals of its environment. It perceives cues linked to the adult bees, to the brood and to its conspecifics. This information helps it to move, to choose the right moment to enter a cell and to ensure its reproduction.
The colour differences between whitish immature forms and brown-red adults do exist, but they do not constitute a system of communication. Likewise, vibrations can be part of the sensory environment of the hive, without being the answer expected here.
Key points
Varroa is blind, but it is not sensorially isolated. Its parasitic success rests largely on its capacity to exploit very fine chemical signals in the bee colony.