Allen wrote:
snip --- I noticed some tiny insects -- that looked to me like whiteflies -- flying near, and it almost seemed into, the cluster of bees.  I went and got my camera, but the tiny bugs do not show up in the picture.

Does anyone know what I saw?
snip ---

Did you catch any?  I always carry a small vial in my pocket to shove anything that looks out of the ordinary for later leisurely identification.  The only thing that I can think of that would have an interest in your bees and look like a tiny whitefly is a Strepsipteran - a twisted-wing insect (not the best common name, to be sure).  They are parasitic on bees (though usually on Andrenid, Halictid and other bees, not honeybees).  If a bee is infected with this the abdomen looks distorted and you may see the butt end of a strepsipteran female sticking out between the abdominal plates.  Only the males fly, and if what you saw was a cloud of males they were interested in those ends sticking out of your bees.  There are also some tiny wasps that parasitize bees, but again only native bees and normally only the egg and larval stages.  I doubt you would mistake them for whiteflies since they are usually a dark colour.

Of course it could have just been a bunch of whiteflies or a swarm of midges that was disturbed by the honeybees.  If you do find these strepsipterans on your bees it would be a record worth noting in the entomological literature.  I only have the following references for anything to do with strepsipterans and bees:

Bolchi, G., Locatelli, D.P., Colombo, M. & Spreafico, M. (1996): Presence of
Strepsiptera larvae in Pollen collected by Apis mellifera L. (Strepsiptera - Hymenoptera: Apoidea). - In: XX International congress of Entomology, August 25-31: 57; Firenze, Italy.

Bolchi, S.G., Locatelli, D.P., Colombo, M. & Spreafico, M. (1996): Strepsiptera larvae in pollen collected by Apis mellifera L. - Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e di Bachicoltura 28 (2): 209-215.

If it turns out your bees have strepsipterans there is in my mind absolutely no need for alarm.  Both bees and many species of strepsipteran are native in Europe and if they have coexisted at all in any kind of relationship they have done so for a very long time.  It is not like varroa moving to mellifera or any other non-native or non-coevolved parasite suddenly appearing.  In fact, if they are that, it is a sign that it doesn't matter, and the bees are not negatively affected or else it would have been noted *much* sooner.

That said, I still have to express doubt that they are strepsipterans, and if they are, that they are showing anything but misguided interest in your bees.

Again if you could collect some of these whiteflies you may wish to have your local entomologist i.d. them.  I work in conjunction with professional entomologists at the central experimental farm in Ottawa and could bring the samples to them if you have no one in your area.  Collect them into 95% ethanol (not isopropanol) if you can get your hands on some ethanol of that strength.  If not put them into isopropanol, and the strongest you can find.

Look too at your bees.  If their abdomens are not bulging then they are not parasitized.  If they are bulging is there a smooth soft bug butt sticking out from between the plates?  Collect them! and send them off for verification.

All of this having been said I want to stress I DO NOT *KNOW* WHAT THESE THINGS ARE.  I am making my best guess, going under the assumption that the whiteflies were actually *interested* in the bees.  That is most likely not the case.  The last thing I want to do is suggest that we might have a "new" bee pest....the co-occurrence of Allen's whiteflies and bees are in all probability a coincidence.

Martin Damus