Published Paper Details:

This study reviews a new way that viral infections might cause a supersedure, or colony-wide coup, in Apis mellifera honey bees. Researchers found that queens infected with viruses like deformed wing virus B (DWV-B) have impaired reproductive health, as seen by fewer eggs laid and crucially lower levels of the queen pheromone component methyl oleate. Methyl oleate serves as a vital chemical signal to the colony, indicating the queen's fitness and reproductive viability. Worker bees interpret the sharp decline in this pheromone as a signal that the queen is no longer fit to rule, subsequently initiating the process of rearing a new queen from a larva. Methyl oleate acts as a "honest signal" to the worker bees, communicating the queen's reproductive health and overall vigor. High levels of Methyl oleate is a chemical assurance to the colony that the queen is healthy, highly fertile, and laying eggs prolifically.This finding establishes a direct link between viral pathogenesis, specific pheromone chemistry, and the complex social behaviour of supersedure, illustrating how pathogen-induced physiological changes can manipulate key colony functions.