Composition of volatiles from fermenting pollen dough and attractiveness to the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a parasite of the honeybee Apis mellifera

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Apidologie

Name of Author

• Baldwyn Torto, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
• Richard T. Arbogast, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville
• Hans Alborn, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville
• Alonso Suazo, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville
• Dennis Van Engelsdorp, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
• Drion Boucias, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
• James H. Tumlinson, Pennsylvania State University
• Peter E.A. Teal, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville

Publication Date

7-1-2007

Abstract

The response of the small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray, to volatiles from a pollen-based diet conditioned by the feeding of 100 adult virgin female or male SHBs (4-8 weeks old) for 1, 3, 7 or 14 days is described and compared to that of the same diet inoculated with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (NRRL Y-30722), isolated from the beetle. In a wind tunnel, volatiles from pollen dough conditioned by beetles of either sex for 3 or 7 days lured significantly more beetles into traps than volatiles from unconditioned dough. In contrast, trap captures with volatiles from dough conditioned for 1 and 14 days were weakly attractive. In cage bioassays, when naïve, unfed, virgin, SHBs (3-4 days old) were given a choice between yeast-inoculated pollen dough and non-inoculated dough, the responses were similar to those obtained in the wind tunnel with dough conditioned by SHBs for 3 and 7 days. Chemical analysis revealed high levels of fermentation-related products in volatiles that attracted the beetle. © INRA/DIB-AGIB/ EDP Sciences, 2007.

Keywords

Aethina tumida, Apis mellifera, Electrophysiology, Pollen dough, Volatile

Disciplines

Entomology

Recommended Citation

Torto, B., Arbogast, R., Alborn, H., Suazo, A., Van Engelsdorp, D., Boucias, D., Tumlinson, J., & Teal, P. (2007). Composition of volatiles from fermenting pollen dough and attractiveness to the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a parasite of the honeybee Apis mellifera. Apidologie, 38 (4), 380-389. https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:2007024