Recapping behavior in <i>Apis cerana</i>: does it contribute to resistance against <i>Varroa</i> spp.?

The invasion of the ectoparasitic mite <i>Varroa destructor</i> into European honey bee, <i>Apis mellifera</i>, populations has contributed to the collapse of most wild populations and economic losses in beekeeping operations. Understanding how some <i>A. mellifera</i> populations survive infestation by this parasite is of great fundamental and practical interest and has led to numerous studies of potential resistance mechanisms. One such mechanism is the uncapping and recapping of comb cells containing infested brood by nurse bees. Recapping has been observed in most surviving populations, but its link to <i>V. destructor</i> resistance remains unclear. Investigating the occurrence of recapping in the Eastern honey bee, <i>Apis cerana</i>, the original host of the parasite, could provide a better understanding of the evolution and function of this behaviour in the <i>Apis</i> genus. Here, we determined the frequency of recapping in two <i>A. cerana</i> populations in China and Thailand at different stages of brood development and compared them with a sympatric <i>A. mellifera</i> population in China. The species, which differ in their susceptibility to infestation, did not show significant differences in recapping frequency. A specific association between recapping and resistance to <i>Varroa</i> spp. in <i>A. cerana</i> is therefore not supported. We discuss possible functions and evolutionary scenarios for this behavior.