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Honeybee Colony Immunity Boosted by Mutual Grooming
NEWS Jun 05, 2020 | Original story from University College London
Honeybees that specialize in grooming their nestmates (allogroomers) to ward off pests play a central role in the colony, finds a new UCL and University of Florence study.
Allogroomer bees also appear to have stronger immune systems, possibly enabling them to withstand their higher risk of infection, according to the findings published in Scientific Reports.
Ectoparasites (parasites that live on the outside of a host’s body, such as mites) are a growing threat to honeybees worldwide, so the researchers say that supporting allogrooming behavior might be an effective pest control strategy.
Lead author Dr Alessandro Cini, who began the project at the University of Florence before moving over to UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, said: “An ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, represents a major global threat to bee colonies. By understanding how allogrooming practices are used to ward off parasites, we may be able to develop strategies to promote allogrooming behaviour and increase resilience to the parasites.
More:
https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/news/honeybee-colony-immunity-boosted-by-mutual-grooming-335724
