Hello Bob, Harrison,

Yes, as you say the literature says that pseudos are THOUGHT to prey upon bees and larvae. However I've been unable to find any objective study that reports whether or not they actually do.

Adult pseudos of the two South African species are observed by Mark Hale and Eddy Lear to live right among the bees, where of course they would have direct access to mites, while a brief report from around 1920 says that pseudo nests are made along the edges of floorboards. On the other hand adult Chelifer cancroides in Europe apparently lived around the edges of bee clusters. However again I have been unable to find any definitive study.

There seem to be no reports of pseudos killing hives, or even of pseudos causing any problems to beekeepers anywhere. So even if pseudos did kill some bees, but suppressed mites and other pests, the ultimate outcome may still be very beneficial.

But all this is speculation. I may not be able to raise funds to get to South Africa, so unless someone can undertake research we will be able to do nothing but continue to speculate about a possible biocontrol for Varroa and other mite and insect pests within hives.

Regards,
Barry Donovan.



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