How does varroa know the difference between a drone cell and worker cell.

[Arfermo]

Smelly feet - what else?

 

[madasafish]

Has anyone here ever seen mites in a Queen cell I haven;t?

Yes. The queen had DWV..

 

[Poly Hive]

I asked a couple of NDB people yesterday and they said it was an odour given off by fatty acids in the brood food just before the cell was sealed.

I merely parrot here.

PH

 

[Finman]

I asked a couple of NDB people yesterday and they said it was an odour given off by fatty acids in the brood food just before the cell was sealed.

I merely parrot here.

PH

You find a wide article from internet, what attracts varroa. There are many substances, which inform mite about many things. Mite is not just after one chemical.

In one report researchers try to find a lure which traps the mites.
.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I asked a couple of NDB people yesterday

I didn't think Varroa D existed when they printed the only books that they are allowed to read!

 

[chrismcd]

The Varroa intercepts the "cap me" chemical message from the larvae and can distinguish between drone and worker larvae pheremones

I have read that varroa are attracted by a chemical in drone cells.
Memory fails but I think it was a phallate used in paper manufacture.

There was info about it in a back issue of Bee Culture. Someone designed a sticky trap baited with the chemical.

I am sure you are right. It is a fairly well known phenomena and the chemical allowing the "eavesdropping" effect is called a kairomone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairomone