APIS-MELLIFERA REMOVES VARROA-JACOBSONI AND TROPILAELAPS-CLAREAE FROM SEALED BROOD CELLS IN THE TOPICS

A. mellifera colonies in Asia suffer from infestations with the two parasitic bee mites T. clareae and V. jacobsoni. The removal behavior of A. mellifera bees to worker brood cells artificially and naturally infested with T. clareae and V. jacobsoni was investigated. The mite infested worker brood cells were detected to various degrees by the worker bees. They react by uncapping and removing brood cells infested with V. jacobsoni and T. clareae mites. After ten days the mean removal rate of brood infested with V. jacobsoni was 19.9% (0.0% - 32.0%), infested with T. clareae was 49.9% (28.0% - 61.5%) and to brood cells infested with both mite species was 66.7% (62.5% - 75.0%). The bees removed significantly more brood cells artificially infested with both mites. Evidently the removal behavior reduces the levels of mite infestation. The ability of bees to detect mite infested brood may be influenced by the number of mites present in the cells.