So why is a bee protected from Oxalic acid. Here is my crazy theory... The bee evolved before flowering plants and depended on honeydew. ...
So why is a bee protected from Oxalic acid. Here is my crazy theory...
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Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. Honeydew is collected by certain species of birds, wasps, stingless bees[3] and honey bees, which process it into a dark, strong honey(honeydew honey). This is highly prized in parts of Europe and Asia for its reputed medicinal value.
Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod body remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph cells called hemocytes are suspended.
The bee evolved before flowering plants and depended on honeydew. More often than not the honeydew of smaller plants contains Oxalic to deter herbivores. To survive bees needed to cope with Oxalic. The mites of the bees feed on the hemolymph which does not contain Oxalic as it is dealt with in the bees digestive system. Therefore the mite has never had to evolve countermeasures for Oxalic.
Glossary
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. Honeydew is collected by certain species of birds, wasps, stingless bees[3] and honey bees, which process it into a dark, strong honey(honeydew honey). This is highly prized in parts of Europe and Asia for its reputed medicinal value.Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod body remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph cells called hemocytes are suspended.
