Field evaluation of nine families of honey bees for resistance to tracheal mites

2001 ◽  
Vol 133 (6) ◽  
pp. 793-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis van Engelsdorp ◽  
Gard W. Otis
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Formic Acid ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Colony Performance ◽  
Tracheal Mites ◽  
Mite Infestations

AbstractWe evaluated the resistance to tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae), of colonies of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), headed by daughters of three queens from each of three honey bee stocks: (i) British Columbia "mite-resistant stock, (ii) Buckfast "mite-resistant" stock, and (iii) Canadian unselected stock. Colonies of all nine families were distributed among four apiaries; half of the colonies in each apiary were treated with formic acid to attempt to control tracheal mites. The study documented significant differences in resistance to tracheal mites among the families of bees, even within each of the three stocks. After the first 4 months of study (by November 1993), differences in mite infestations had developed among the nine families. Formic acid treatments had either short-lived effectiveness (1993) or no effect (1994) on tracheal mite infestations, thereby eliminating the opportunity to evaluate colony performance in the absence of mites. Mite infestations varied significantly among apiary sites. This study highlights the value of evaluating sets of colonies headed by sister queens when identifying mite-resistant stock for breeding purposes.

TRACHEAL MITE ACARAPIS WOODI (RENNIE) (ACARI: TARSONEMIDAE) INFESTATIONS IN THE HONEY BEE, APIS MELLIFERA L. (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) IN TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Lozano ◽  
J. O. Moffett ◽  
B. Campos P. ◽  
M. Guillen M. ◽  
O. N. Perez E. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
The State ◽  
Late Spring ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Tracheal Mites ◽  
Northeastern Mexico

In a 1986 survey taken in northeastern Mexico, 44% of the 6,200 honey bees, Apis mellifera L., examined were infested with tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi (Rennie). Mites were found in 80% of the 310 colony samples of 20 bees each. These samples were taken monthly from 10 colonies in each of three apiaries located from 130 to 230 km apart in the state of Tamaulipas. Infestation levels varied greatly among apiaries, months, and between samples. Monthly infestations in individual bees ranged from a low of 2% in the Hidalgo apiary in August to a high of 97% in February in the Aldama apiary. The average infestation was 11% of the bees in the Hidalgo apiary, 35% in the Ciudad Mante apiary, and 71% in the Aldama apiary. Mite populations tended to decline in late spring and summer. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.91, p < 0.01) between the percentage of bees infested in the apiary and the number of mites in each infested bee. The number of mites per infested bee ranged from an average of 14 for infested bees from the four monthly apiary samples with the lowest percentage of infested bees to 44 mites/infested bee in the four samples with the highest percent of infested bees. The average number of mites per infested bee was 34.2. The proportion of mites in each life stage varied markedly. Overall, 19% of the 92,392 mites were in the egg stage, 37% were larvae, and 44% were adults. The ratio of males to females was 1:2.43 or 29% males to 71% females. Both right and left tracheae were equally susceptable to becoming infested, as mites were found in 2,144 right and 2,138 left trachea. Both tracheae were infested in 58% of the bees parasitized with mites. There was also a highly significant correlation (r = 0.98, P < 0.01) between percentage of bees infested in each sample and percentage of infested bees with mites present in both tracheae.

scholarly journals Differential autogrooming response to the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi by the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Sakamoto ◽  
T. Maeda ◽  
M. Yoshiyama ◽  
F. Konno ◽  
J. S. Pettis
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Response Threshold ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Apis Cerana Japonica ◽  
The Difference

AbstractThe infestation of honey bees by the endoparasitic tracheal mite Acarapis woodi was first discovered in Apis mellifera on the Isle of Wight, England, and the mite has since spread to all continents except Australia. Since 2010, this tracheal mite has spread rapidly in the Japanese honey bee, Apis cerana japonica, of mainland Japan, causing considerable colony mortality. In contrast, infestations by the mites in the imported and managed European honey bee, A. mellifera, have rarely been observed in Japan. A previous laboratory experiment revealed a difference in susceptibility by demonstrating that the tracheal mite more frequently enters tracheae of A. cerana than those of A. mellifera. In this study, we compared autogrooming responses of A. cerana and A. mellifera by depositing a mite on each honey bee’s mesoscutum, and we then assessed the efficacy of autogrooming to remove the mite. The bees that received mites more frequently showed an autogrooming response compared to unchallenged bees in both bee species. However, a significantly greater proportion of A. mellifera individuals autogroomed compared to A. cerana. In addition, when bees autogroomed, A. mellifera removed the tracheal mite more effectively than A. cerana. When considering all bees in the mite-deposited group, the proportion of mite removal in A. mellifera was almost twice as high as that in A. cerana. Thus, the difference in susceptibility to the tracheal mite between these two bee species is attributed to the difference in the behavioral response threshold to mites and the effectiveness of mite removal by grooming.

Studies of the honey bee tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) during winter

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2122-2127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gard W. Otis ◽  
Judy B. Bath ◽  
Deborah L. Randall ◽  
Gordon M. Grant
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Mite Reproduction ◽  
Tracheal Mites ◽  
Mite Infestations ◽  
Mite Prevalence

Changes in the populations of tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi) in individual honey bees were quantified in New York during winter. Mite prevalence increased greatly from November to February, then declined again in late spring. The simultaneous increases in prevalence values and in slight infestations restricted to the outer portions of the tracheae strongly suggest that many older bees were becoming infested with mites during the winter period when no brood was being reared. Trends in mite infestations varied greatly in different colonies for reasons that are not clear. Although mite reproduction was generally low (< 2.5 immatures per female), it appeared to be higher in October than during the rest of the winter. The sex ratio (3.04) was biased in favour of females. These patterns are different in some respects from those described for the same organism in Europe, emphasizing the need to carefully evaluate the biology of tracheal mites in North America and their interactions with their bee hosts before predicting their economic impact.

scholarly journals Pest status and incidence of the honey bee tracheal mite in Finland

1998 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. KORPELA
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Tracheal Mites ◽  
Mite Infestations ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Winter Losses

Colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were surveyed for the presence of the honey bee tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi Rennie) in Finland between 1991 and 1997. Colony background information and winter loss data were obtained from beekeepers who had taken tracheal mite infested samples. A total of 2116 samples from honey bee colonies of 402 beekeepers were investigated. Infestations were found in 8% of the beekeeping operations and in 10% of the samples inspected. In the last years of the survey more than 20% of apiaries were infested. This increase may be partly explained by tracheal mite infestations found in commercial queen-rearing apiaries. A field experiment with colonies infested at different levels showed that colonies in which 20% or more of bees are infested with tracheal mites have an increased risk of dying during the winter under Finnish conditions. This infestation level was found among colonies in 92% of the infested apiaries. Comparison of the tracheal mite prevalence in apiaries with their winter losses indicated that infestations were associated with colony mortality. The results of this survey point to the high pest potential of the tracheal mite in Finland, in contrast to findings on tracheal mites from elsewhere in Europe. Therefore, strategies to prevent further spread of the mite are highly recommended and methods for effective control should be sought.;

Reduction of tracheal mite parasitism of honey bees by swarming

1991 ◽  
Vol 331 (1260) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Mite Density ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

Based on population dynamics, tracheal mite ( Acarapis woodi ) parasitism of colonies of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) appears to be, potentially at least, regulatory and stable. Empirical and theoretical considerations suggest, however, that intracolony population dynamics of mite-honey bee worker seem to be unstable in managed situations where honey bee worker population is allowed to grow unchecked. Experimental studies showed that tracheal mite population levels increased in a managed honey bee colony but were impaired in one in which brood rearing was interrupted by loss of the queen. Mite densities but not prevalence were lowered in experimental swarms kept from rearing brood. We propose that swarming reduces mite density within a colony, therefore implicating modern techniques of hive management in the sudden historical appearance of the mite on the Isle of Wight.

scholarly journals Honey Bee Tracheal Mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Arachnida: Acarina: Tarsonemidae)

EDIS ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 2004 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold A. Denmark ◽  
Harvey L. Cromroy ◽  
Malcolm T. Stanford
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cooperative Extension Service ◽  
Acarapis Woodi ◽  
University Of Florida ◽  
Disease Symptoms ◽  
Isle Of Wight ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Tracheal Mite ◽  
Mite Infestations

In October 1984, the honey bee tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie), was found in Florida. Although it was first described by Rennie in 1921, the mite was not found in the United States until 1984. Rennie described the mite from bees on the Isle of Wight and associated it with the "Isle of Wight" disease. Symptoms of this infestation were described as "bees crawling about unable to fly, and with wings disjointed; dwindling and mortality of colonies have been said to occur rapidly with colonies dying within a month." It was later shown that the tracheal mite was not the cause of the "Isle of Wight" disease (Bailey 1964), and later reports (Bailey 1968, Morse 1978) indicate that A. woodi is not as serious a pest of honey bees as previously thought. In combination with other adverse conditions, however, heavy mite infestations may cause a reduction in bee activity. This document is EENY-172 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 267), one of the Featured Creatures series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: November 2000. EENY-172/IN329: Honey Bee Tracheal Mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Arachnida: Acari: Tarsonemidae) (ufl.edu)

scholarly journals Feeding by Tropilaelaps mercedesae on pre- and post-capped brood increases damage to Apis mellifera colonies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patcharin Phokasem ◽  
Lilia I. de Guzman ◽  
Kitiphong Khongphinitbunjong ◽  
Amanda M. Frake ◽  
Panuwan Chantawannakul
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Queen Cell ◽  
Tropilaelaps Mercedesae ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Mite Infestations

Abstract Tropilaelaps mercedesae parasitism can cause Apis mellifera colony mortality in Asia. Here, we report for the first time that tropilaelaps mites feed on both pre- and post-capped stages of honey bees. Feeding on pre-capped brood may extend their survival outside capped brood cells, especially in areas where brood production is year-round. In this study, we examined the types of injury inflicted by tropilaelaps mites on different stages of honey bees, the survival of adult honey bees, and level of honey bee viruses in 4th instar larvae and prepupae. The injuries inflicted on different developing honey bee stages were visualised by staining with trypan blue. Among pre-capped stages, 4th instar larvae sustained the highest number of wounds (4.6 ± 0.5/larva) while 2nd-3rd larval instars had at least two wounds. Consequently, wounds were evident on uninfested capped brood (5th-6th instar larvae = 3.91 ± 0.64 wounds; prepupae = 5.25 ± 0.73 wounds). Tropilaelaps mite infestations resulted in 3.4- and 6-fold increases in the number of wounds in 5th-6th instar larvae and prepupae as compared to uninfested capped brood, respectively. When wound-inflicted prepupae metamorphosed to white-eyed pupae, all wound scars disappeared with the exuviae. This healing of wounds contributed to the reduction of the number of wounds (≤10) observed on the different pupal stages. Transmission of mite-borne virus such as Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) was also enhanced by mites feeding on early larval stages. DWV and Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) were detected in all 4th instar larvae and prepupae analysed. However, viral levels were more pronounced in scarred 4th instar larvae and infested prepupae. The remarkably high numbers of wounds and viral load on scarred or infested developing honey bees may have caused significant weight loss and extensive injuries observed on the abdomen, wings, legs, proboscis and antennae of adult honey bees. Together, the survival of infested honey bees was significantly compromised. This study demonstrates the ability of tropilaelaps mites to inflict profound damage on A. mellifera hosts. Effective management approaches need to be developed to mitigate tropilaelaps mite problems.

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