Hello Simoneau
In reply to your question about the `wowbug' (Melittobia sp.), several years ago a major producer of bumble bee colonies in Europe had a severe infestation in a rearing facility. Leafcutting bees used for pollination of lucerne have also been badly attacked in North America and New Zealand. The only definitive answer that I know of (and maybe there are other better approaches that I don't know about) is to destroy all infested nests and start again. This is because it is virtually impossible to remove all Melittobia from all attacked larvae and pupae. If you miss just one developing female, then without mating she will lay 6-8 eggs, all of which will develop to males in less than 2 weeks. The female will then mate with one of her sons, and will then lay up to 100 eggs (on a leafcutting bee prepupa) which will produce about 95 females and 5 more males. The females are only about 1 mm long so are difficult to see in a bumble bee nest, and especially so because as soon as they emerge from an infested cell they quickly bore into and attack in another cell. Very many developing bees can be attacked before one is aware of the problem. Melittobia on bumble bees and leafcutting bees can be at least as bad as varroa on honey bees!
Melittobia are everywhere outdoors where they attack a wide range of immature Hymenoptera, so it is important to try to seal the rearing facility from entry by Melittobia. This can be very difficult as an insect just 1 mm long can get through a very small crack.
Good luck.
Regards,
Barry Donovan.
New Zealand.



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