Population changes of Tropilaelaps clareae mites in Apis mellifera colonies in Pakistan

摘要

We investigated the population changes of Tropilaelaps clareae in Apis mellifera colonies over a 14 month period in Islamabad, Pakistan. The environmental conditions resulted in honey bee brood being present throughout the year, which allowed T clareae to breed continuously. The phoretic period of T clareae was very short as the infestation of the brood (8.1%) was 20 times greater than that of the adult workers (0.4%). There were rapid increases in the T clareae population during March and April. This corresponded with the expansion of the honey bee sealed brood and an increase in the number of failing mites. The possible interactions between T clareae and deformed wing virus are discussed.