LIFE-HISTORY OF THE HONEY-BEE TRACHEAL MITE (ACARI, TARSONEMIDAE)

Data on the seasonal reproductive patterns of the honey bee tracheal m ite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie), were obtained by dissecting host honey b ees, Apis mellifera L. at intervals during their life span. Mite repro duction normally was limited to 1 complete generation per host bee, re gardless of host life span. However, limited egg laying by foundress p rogeny was observed. Longer lived bees in the fall and winter harbored mites that reproduced for a longer period than did mites in bees duri ng spring and summer. Oviposition rate was relatively uniform at appro ximate to 0.85 eggs per female per day during the initial 16 d of adul t bee life regardless of season. In all seasons, peak mite populations occurred in bees approximate to 24 d old, with egg laying declining r apidly beyond day 24 in spring and summer bees but more slowly in fall and winter bees. Stadial lengths of eggs and male and female larvae w ere 5, 4, and 5 d, respectively. Sex ratio ranged from 1.15:1 to 2.01: 1, female bias, but because males are not known to migrate they would have been overestimated in the sampling scheme. Fecundity was estimate d to be approximate to 21 offspring, assuming daughter mites laid limi ted eggs in tracheae before dispersal. Mortality of adult mites increa sed with host age; an estimate of 35 d for female mite longevity was i ndirectly obtained. Daughter mites began dispersing when infested bees were approximate to 13 d old, and mite dispersal peaked when infested bees were 15-25 d old. The mating behavior of tracheal mites is descr ibed.