Apidologie (2007) 38, 380-389

Baldwyn Torto, Richard T. Arbogast, Hans Alborn, Alonso Suazo, Dennis van Engelsdorp, Drion Boucias, James H. Tumlinson and Peter E.A. Teal (2007)
Composition of volatiles from fermenting pollen dough and attractiveness to the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, a parasite of the honeybee Apis mellifera
Apidologie 38 (4), 380-389
Abstract: The response of the small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray, to volatiles from a pollen-based diet conditioned by the feeding of 100 adult virgin female or male SHBs (4-8 weeks old) for 1, 3, 7 or 14 days is described and compared to that of the same diet inoculated with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (NRRL Y-30722), isolated from the beetle. In a wind tunnel, volatiles from pollen dough conditioned by beetles of either sex for 3 or 7 days lured significantly more beetles into traps than volatiles from unconditioned dough. In contrast, trap captures with volatiles from dough conditioned for 1 and 14 days were weakly attractive. In cage bioassays, when naïve, unfed, virgin, SHBs (3-4 days old) were given a choice between yeast-inoculated pollen dough and non-inoculated dough, the responses were similar to those obtained in the wind tunnel with dough conditioned by SHBs for 3 and 7 days. Chemical analysis revealed high levels of fermentation-related products in volatiles that attracted the beetle.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Baldwyn Torto, Richard T. Arbogast, James H. Tumlinson

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aethina tumida