All
 
There are some parts of the U.S. that seem to have a chronic Tracheal Mite  
problem.  There have been a few reports of tracheal mites in recovering CCD  
colonies.  To date, we have not seen Tracheal Mite  in most of the CCD  samples 
that we have taken.
 
We can't blame CCD on tracheal mites, and these mites have not  been the 
cause of this year's overwintering losses that we've looked at in  the western 
states.  
 
That doesn't mean it has disappeared, but its not like it was 10 years ago,  
so I doubt that old studies of tracheal mite resistance in breeding stocks 
mean  much today.  
 
I'm not sure why it persists in some regions, but I doubt that its gone -  it 
has a tendency to pop up here and there.  A few years ago, we had a  tracheal 
mite problem in the Pacific NW, long after we thought it had stopped  being a 
problem.  My guess, under the right envionmental conditions,  particularly in 
winter in the northern states, it can re-appear.  But, it  hasn't been seen 
in the CCD colonies we've looked at this fall and winter.
 
  Jerry



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