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]