Honeybees use social distancing when mites threaten hives

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) change the way they interact with one another when infested with the mite Varroa destructor, a pathogen that can cause colony collapse. Researchers in Italy studied video recordings of the inside of hives and found that, in mite-infested hives, older members of the colony performed dances to direct other bees to food sources at the periphery, keeping them away from the centre — where young bees, the queen and brood cells are located. The researchers also observed more grooming activity, which can help to reduce the spread of parasites, at the centre of the infested hives.