TROPILAELAPS-CLAREAE FEMALES CAN SURVIVE FOR 4 WEEKS WHEN GIVEN OPEN BEE BROOD OF APIS-MELLIFERA

Female Tropilaelaps clareae mites were released into small petri dishe s without food, or on small pieces of brood comb containing several Ap is mellifera larvae 1-4 days old. On each day of the experiement the p iece of brood comb was exchanged for a new one containing larvae of th e age being tested. In dishes with no food only 5.5% of mites survived for two days. Survival of gravid female mites was significantly highe r than that of thin females. On bee larvae 1, 3 and 3.5 days old, 0%, 9% and 47% of T. clareae females survived until the second day. None s urvived until the fourth day. However, on bee larvae four days old, 89 %, 68%, 32%, 7% and 4% of females were alive on the 2nd, 5th, 10th, 19 th and 28th day respectively. Thus, T clareae females can survive for up to four weeks on bee larvae four days old. The amount of brood pher omones on larvae 4-5 days old is greater than that on younger larvae, probably stimulating feeding and thereby supporting mite survival. Fer tilized female mites quickly become gravid, and they must enter cells containing bee larvae to lay eggs. T. clareae females do not need to f eed on prepupae or pupae to lay eggs and to survive for longer periods . Queen honey bees need not be caged after brood removal from the colo ny in order to control the parasitic mite T clareae, as by the time an y eggs laid have developed into four-day-old larvae the mites will hav e died.