Mites in the genus Tropilaelaps are ectoparasites of the brood of
honey bees. Different Tropilaelaps subspecies were originally
described from Apis dorsata, but a host switch occurred to the Western
honey bee, Apis mellifera, for which infestations can rapidly lead to
colony death. Data presented clearly demonstrates that the genus
Tropilaelaps contains four distinct species.

The most common species, Tropilaelaps clareae, is also an economically
important pest of the introduced Western honeybee (A. mellifera)
throughout Asia and is considered an emerging threat to world
apiculture. was First isolated from a colony of the Western honeybee,
Apis mellifera Linnaeus, in the Philippines, and from Weld rats
nesting nearby. Since switching to A. mellifera, T. clareae has spread
beyond the geographical range of its primary honeybee host to Iran,
Afghanistan, Kenya, South Korea and the Western Pacific island of New
Guinea

Tropilaelaps is hence considered more dangerous to A. mellifera than
the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Honey bees are also infected by
many different viruses, some of them associated with and vectored by
V. destructor. In recent years, deformed wing virus (DWV) has become
the most prevalent virus infection in honey bees associated with V.
destructor. DWV is distributed world-wide, and found wherever the
Varroa mite is found, although low levels of the virus can also be
found in Varroa free colonies.

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to show the presence of DWV in
infested brood and Tropilaelaps mercedesae mites collected in China,
and to demonstrate a close quantitative association between
mite-infested pupae of A. mellifera and DWV infections.

sources

"Deformed wing virus associated with Tropilaelaps mercedesae infesting
European honey bees (Apis mellifera).
Forsgren E, et al

"Genetic and morphological variation of bee-parasitic Tropilaelaps
mites (Acari: Laelapidae): new and re-defined species"
Denis L. Anderson · Mathew J. Morgan

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