DISTRIBUTION OF ACARAPIDOSIS IN RUSSIA (REVIEW)
Acarapidosis is a dangerous quarantine disease of honey bees caused by an obligate tracheal endoparasite of bees, the mite Acarapis woodi. Infestation by A. woodi leads to depletion of the hemolymph, blockage of the trachea, and, as a result, death of the bee. The high level of infestation in colonies can lead to the death of families and cause serious economic damage. Therefore, acarapidosis in Russia is classified as a quarantine invasion. In Russia, the disease was first recorded in 1926, and since then it has been observed in a number of regions of the European part and in the Urals. By the early nineties, the disease was considered eliminated in Russia due to acaricides massively used to control another dangerous mite-borne disease, varroatosis. However, as the review of literature and reports from organizations engaging in surveillance for diseases of agricultural animals shows, there have been many new cases of acarapidosis over the past thirty years. This disease has spread over all large geographic regions of Russia, and the number of cases of acarapidosis are identified every year. Thus, this neglected disease requires to be strictly controlled to prevent its distribution.