Research begins on native chelifers for control of varroa

摘要

Recently MAF Biosecurity New Zealand decided to use some of the money left over from the cancelled varroa survey to fond an application, led by Plant and Food Research Ltd. at Lincoln University, for 43,762.50 dollar for research on native chelifers as possible control agents for the vampire mite Varroa destructor. Previously the chelifers have been known as pseudoscorpions due to their superficial resemblance to true scorpions, but because the two groups are not closely related, and the species we are interested in are classified in the Superfamily Cheliferoidea, we feel that 'chelifer' is a much more appropriate name.