I've been reading George Eickwort's chapter on mites in the Morse and Nowogrodzki book "Honey bee pests, predators, and diseases".

He says that there are more than 86 species of mite that have been found associated with various Apis species.  Some of them appear to be beneficial:  scavenger mites like Glycyphagus and Acarus species are found in large numbers in hives, and they are strictly mycophagus (eat only fungi).

I wonder whether the vigorous chemical treatment for pest mites Varroa and Acarapis that is being practiced is detrimental to the beneficial mites in the hive.  Once the beneficials stop "doing their thing" for the mini-ecosystem that is the hive...what happens to the bees?  Do they become more susceptible to problems that beneficial hive mites normally keep in check?

In the same book, David de Jong states that bees in temperate climates are ravaged more by Varroa than those in tropical climates, even when the hives are headed up by sister queens.  In other words, climate seems to have an effect unrelated to Africanization.

Is anyone out there thinking about these things?  What are the implications of these "nuanced" observations about mites to overall honeybee survival and best hive management?

Christina

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