TIME-ACTIVITY BUDGETS AND SPACE STRUCTURING BY THE DIFFERENT LIFE STAGES OF VARROA-JACOBSONI IN CAPPED BROOD OF THE HONEY-BEE, APIS-MELLIFERA

Varroa jacobsoni reproduces in honey bee brood cells. Here the behavio ral activity and use of space by infesting Varroa females and progeny were quantified in transparent artificial brood cells. The time-activi ty budget of both infesting and developing mites converged toward a st able pattern which was established during the bee prepupal stage of th e infesting mites and the proto-nymphal stage of mite progeny. The pat tern was such that infesting females and offspring eventually divided their activity between the fecal accumulation on the cell wall, which sewed as the rendezvous site for newly molted individuals, and the fee ding site prepared on the pupa by the foundress. Other parts of the ce ll wall were used for oviposition and molting, away from the fecal acc umulation an which activity of mobile stages was concentrated. Space s tructuring and the time-activity budget in Varroa probably evolved to enhance the number of fertilized females produced within the capped br ood, where space and time are limiting factors. These behavioral adapt ations parallel those of other mite species which show group behavior within cavities.