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Date: | Tue, 11 Apr 1995 08:56:47 GMT |
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Larry Farris writes:
>
> 2) Secondly, I live in north Texas and while collecting pollen from
> one of my beehives, I noticed a very small brown insect. It was visible
> to the unaided eye and it was NOT a varroa mite (I did not have a
> microscope, but it appeared to have a somewhat more elongated body
> however about the same colour brown as the varroa). It was smaller than
> a varroa mite and I found them (not many) actually in the pollen
> collection drawer. What are these insects and do they harm the
> beehive?
This is probably a braula (braula coecci, if I remember
correctly). Braula are pretty much as you describe, they are an
insect not a mite (6 legs not eight) and tend to ride on the backs
of bees rather than underneath like the much flatter shaped
varroa. Braula appear totally harmless, *possibly* even
benificial.
The poor little braula seems to be under serious attack by our
acaricide Bayvarol -- I presume the same is true with Apistan.
Regards,
--
Gordon Scott [log in to unmask] Compuserve 100332,3310
Basingstoke Beekeeper [log in to unmask]
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