biostudies-literatureZhao Qthe earmarked fund for the China Agriculture Research Systemthe Key R&D Program of Shandong Province, Chinathe Natural Science Foundation Project of Shandong Provincethe National Bee Breeding Joint Research Project66https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11764367biostudies-literatureUnknown15(1)Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garnered global attention. To better understand the chemical ecology of this host-parasite relationship, we collected and characterized the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from <i>V. destructor</i> and used electroantennography (EAG) to record the responses of honey bee (<i>A. c. cerana</i> and <i>A. m. ligustica</i>) antennae to the different VOCs. Fifteen VOCs were detected from <i>V. destructor</i> using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which mainly contained ethyl palmitate, followed by isoamyl alcohol, BiomoleculesVarroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition.PMC11764367MFYZGG-08CARS-44ZR2024MC1732023TZXD079 and 2023LZGC017Mustafa ALiu ZZhao QXu BWang XWang HWang YChi XfalseVarroa Volatiles Offer Chemical Cues to Honey Bees for Initial Parasitic Recognition.Olfaction mediated by the antennae is a vital sensory modality for arthropods and could be applied as a tool in pest control. The ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> poses a significant threat to the health of the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> worldwide and has garnered global attention. To better understand the chemical ecology of this host-parasite relationship, we collected and characterized the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from <i>V. destructor</i> and used electroantennography (EAG) to record the responses of honey bee (<i>A. c. cerana</i> and <i>A. m. ligustica</i>) antennae to the different VOCs. Fifteen VOCs were detected from <i>V. destructor</i> using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which mainly contained ethyl palmitate, followed by isoamyl alcohol, 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Jan2026-04-15T03:21:18.707Z2025-04-04T00:26:09.782ZS-EPMC117643673985846110.3390/biom15010066