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Author Topic: 751 kinds of mites that live on bees  (Read 2290 times)

Offline Michael Bush

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751 kinds of mites that live on bees
« on: July 27, 2022, 09:12:29 am »
...and only three are a problem:
Acarapis woodi (tracheal mites)
Tropilaelaps clareae
Varroa destructor

and only two are in North America:
Acarapis woodi
Varroa destructor

and some of them eat Varroa:
Stratiolaelaps scimitus
most of the order pseudoscorpions (about a hundred different species)
 

Here is the list:
https://bushfarms.com/beesmites.htm
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: 751 kinds of mites that live on bees
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2022, 10:57:44 pm »
I LOVE pseudoscorpions!  They are like one of my favorite animals.  I saw one on our picnic table once and got some great pictures of it, but I can't seem to find them.  They are very common, but they are extremely small so most people never see one, and those that do often mistake them for ticks unfortunately.  I believe all species are beneficial, most are scavengers or predators, and many feed on mites of various types.  They are sometimes called "book scorpions" because there are several species that feed on booklice, and so they can be found in old books sometimes.  I'm not sure it's really accurate to call them mites, as they are not in either of the mite orders, but they are definitely awesome!  :grin:  Here's a short clip of one.
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-1072856114-pseudoscorpion-false-scorpion-size-comparison-on-fingernail
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Offline William Bagwell

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Re: 751 kinds of mites that live on bees
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2022, 08:04:08 am »
and some of them eat Varroa:
Stratiolaelaps scimitus

Quick Google shows them available, 12,500 for $18.38. Imagine shipping will be high...

Worth a try?

Doubt they would survive a thermal treatment, but bet the pseudoscorpions could. Not looked for them yet.

 

anything