Lactic acid treatment on infested honey bees works through a local way of action against Varroa destructor.

ABSTRACT: Lactic acid is an alternative treatment to hard chemicals against Varroa destructor, the parasitic mite of the Western honey bee Apis mellifera. This soft acaricide is used only for small apiaries due to its laborious administration. However, the mode of action of this honey bee medication remains unknown. Previous studies showed that a direct contact between the arolia of V. destructor and lactic acid altered their morphology and led to an impairment of grip. Yet, there is no evidence for the way of action of lactic acid in a realistic in-hive scenario, i.e. after an indirect exposure of the mite through honey bees. We investigated the nature of lactic acid activity in the hive treatment context. The local and/or systemic way of action of this honey bee treatment against V. destructor was

SUBMITTER: Vilarem C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11544202 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature