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]