Is Tropilaelaps clareae a threat to the health and welfare of the honey bee?

An ectoparasitic mite Tropilaelaps clareae infesting Apis dorsata in Asia h as quickly moved onto a new host Apis mellifera in the middle of the twenti eth century and became a problem for beekeepers in Asia and South Africa. T he mite needs to be on the brood almost constantly. Mite infestation is mor e severe during active brood rearing periods. On hatching, the nymph feeds on the haemolymph of capped larvae and pupae, and adult mites finally emerg e out from the infested cells. Adult bees do not emerge or the affected bro od develops into deformed adults. Inspection of hives severely infested by the mite reveals an irregular pattern of sealed and unsealed brood. Since a dults of T. clareae can survive without bee brood as food for only 2 days, restricting of brood production combined with chemical treatment can contro l the mite pest, Bees and queens should be subject to inspection by veterin ary service at the time of importation for the purpose of determining wheth er they are eligible to be imported to places free of T. clareae. Veterinar ians and beekeepers should constantly. monitor the hives for the presence o f exotic mites to prevent a threat to the health and welfare of bees.