CT-supported analysis of the destructive effects ofVarroa destructoron the pre-imaginal development of honey bee,Apis mellifera

摘要

The ectoparasitic mite,Varroa destructor, is a most important health risk for European honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera) globally. There is a scarcity in experimental approaches addressing this issue by using computed tomography. Our purpose was to determine the decrease in the volume, surface, density and weight alteration triggered byV. destructorin pre-imaginal stages ofA. melliferausing computer-based 3-D reconstruction technology. Computer tomography used in the current study proved to be sufficiently sensitive for the detection ofV. destructorin comb cells. This non-invasive experimental setup revealed that the developing worker pupae have retained their volume and surface values, whereas the weight loss triggered byV. destructorwas statistically confirmed. In addition, the disappearance of lower radiodensity tissues is shown to be due to mite parasitism, which can be primarily explained by haemolymph losses.