Brood pupation temperature affects the susceptibility of honeybees (Apis mellifera) to infestation by tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi)

Abstract

An assessment was made of tracheal mite susceptibility in honeybees pupated at a low temperature. Using a laboratory bioassay, an experiment was conducted to compare the performance of newly-emerged ( callow) bees raised at 30 degrees C with those raised at the more normal brood temperature of 34 degrees C. The reduced temperature caused a delay of over 5 days in the emergence of the bees from the brood cells. The callow bees raised at 30 degrees C had over twice the mite prevalence level. The fecundity of the mites in the tracheae was similar for both temperature conditions. Increased susceptibility to tracheal mites resulting from reduced brood temperature may help to explain the mortality, in the temperature- stressed late winter/early spring period, of colonies with a moderate mite infestation in autumn. Further work is required to identify the mechanism responsible for this increased susceptibility.