Small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, as a potential biological vector of honeybee viruses

Le Petit coléoptère des ruches, Aethina tumida, vecteur potentiel des virus de l'Abeille domestique

Michael Eyer , Yan Ping Chen , Marc Oliver Schäfer , Jeff Pettis , Peter Neumann

The small hive beetle (SHB, Aethina tumida) is a parasite and scavenger of honeybee colonies. Here, we conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the potential of SHB as a vector of honeybee viruses. Using RT-PCR methods, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) was detected in adult SHBs that: (1) were fed with dead workers with deformed wings, (2) were fed with DWV-positive brood, and (3) were associated with DWV-contaminated wax. SHB became significantly more often infected through feeding on virus infected workers, brood and the virus contaminated wax compared to pollen and the controls, where no infections were found. DWV was also detected in adult SHB after trophallaxis with infected workers. Further, among SHBs identified as DWV-positive, 40% of beetles carried negative stranded RNA of DWV, indicating virus replication. Our results suggest that SHB can be infected with honeybee viruses via food-borne transmission and have the potential of being a biological vector of honeybee viruses.

Mots clés: Apis mellifera; Aethina tumida; biological vector; deformed wing virus; honeybees; small hive beetle<br>---<br>Apis mellifera; vecteur biologique; virus de l'aile déformée; DWV

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Michael Eyer, Yan Ping Chen, Marc Oliver Schäfer, Jeff Pettis, Peter Neumann. Small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, as a potential biological vector of honeybee viruses. Apidologie, 2009, 40 (4), ⟨10.1051/apido:2008051⟩. ⟨hal-00891994⟩