Data from: Varroa destructor changes cuticular hydrocarbons to mimic its new host.

Varroa destructor is a honeybee ectoparasite. Its original host is the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana, but has also become a severe, global threat to the European honeybee, Apis mellifera. Previous studies have shown that Varroa can mimic a host’s cuticular hydrocarbons, enabling the parasite to escape the hygienic behavior of the host honeybees. By transferring mites between the two honeybee species, we further demonstrate that Varroa mites are able to mimic the new hosts’ cuticular hydrocarbons, even when they are artificially transferred to a different species. Moreover, in our study, a mite from the original host, A. cerana, is more efficient in mimicking either species (A. mellifera or A. cerana). This remarkable adaptability may explain their relatively recent host-shift from A. cerana to A. mellifera.

狄斯瓦螨（Varroa destructor）是一种蜜蜂体外寄生虫，其原始宿主为东方蜜蜂（Apis cerana），同时也对西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）构成了严重的全球性威胁。既往研究表明，狄斯瓦螨能够模拟宿主的表皮碳氢化合物，以此逃避宿主蜜蜂的卫生行为。本研究通过在两种蜜蜂间转接螨类，进一步证实狄斯瓦螨能够模拟新宿主的表皮碳氢化合物，即便该螨被人工转接至异种宿主时亦是如此。此外，本研究发现，源自原始宿主东方蜜蜂的瓦螨，在模拟任意一种宿主（西方蜜蜂或东方蜜蜂）的表皮碳氢化合物时效率更高。这种卓越的适应性或可解释其为何能在较近的时间内完成从东方蜜蜂到西方蜜蜂的宿主转换。