Fera Managing varroa leaflet question

[EK.Bee]

Just spent 30 mins of confusion whilst trying to commit to memory the Varroa life cycle from the 2010 fera leaflet (I got this at a bee health day)
I thought I'd use it as a source (there is a variance depending on whose book you read)
Turns out the 2010 leaflet has the male & female development times the wrong way round in the text & in the diagram :D
It's corrected on the downloadable one updated in Oct 2015
Confused me rotten for a while (Bet everyone else spotted that instantly back in 2010)

Should I be concerned that the bees are driving me to this level of geekdom?

Anyway the question is: Does the female Varroa hiding under the royal jelly before brood capping only begin to feed after receiving a mechanical stimulus from the pre pupa eating the last of the royal jelly or what other stimulus might cause her to start? Some books simply say she feeds several hours after capping.

Is there a consensus?

[gavin]

Yes, worrying :).

Try this paper then memorise the author's names in case anyone marking your paper doesn't believe you. Triggered by larval cuticular volatiles.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00049-004-0278-0#page-1

[Greengage]

Sometimes I worry about these exams, If you were doing a masters in entomology you wouldn't be expected to know some of this stuff, its only a hobby after all.

[gavin]

Emmm ..... sorry, I didn't answer the question. OK, for the first 24-30 hrs in the cell she is immersed in brood food. The honeybee larva/prepupa eats it up during this time. What the actual trigger for the mite to wake up and start feeding on the larva I can't tell you, but being left high and dry must be part of it. You can probably also add that larval volatiles trigger oviposition, so probably also trigger behavioural changes association with oviposition (like larval feeding).

I can't guarantee that will get you the marks though.