scholarly journals Infestation of honey bees by tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi, in Japan

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taro MAEDA
1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2122-2127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gard W. Otis ◽  
Judy B. Bath ◽  
Deborah L. Randall ◽  
Gordon M. Grant

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.


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. ◽  
...  

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 &lt; 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 &lt; 0.01) between percentage of bees infested in each sample and percentage of infested bees with mites present in both tracheae.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document