Nosema apis , a parasite of honey bee workers, causes workers to forage earlier. We have previously determined that infected workers show higher juvenile hormone (JH) titers in their blood. The higher JH titers can be achieved by several alternative mechanisms: enhanced JH production by host corpora allata (CA), reduced JH degradation, or JH production by Nosema directly. In this study we determine if JH is produced by Nosema directly. Foraging behaviors and JH titers are compared between allatectomized workers that are either uninfected or infected with Nosema spores.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Species 2: Microsporidea Microsporida Nosema apis (Nosema)
Keywords: Apis; mellifera; Nosema; foraging; honey bees; allatectomy
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