Cleaning symbioses represent classic models of mutualism, and some bee mites are thought to perform cleaning services for their hosts in exchange for suitable environments for reproduction and dispersal. These mutual benefits, however, have not been rigorously demonstrated. We tested the sanitary role of bee mites by correlating mite loads with fungal contamination in natural nests of Megalopta...

The worldwide decline in honeybee colonies during the past 50 years has often been linked to the spread of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its interaction with certain honeybee viruses carried by Varroa mites. In this paper, we propose a honeybee-mite-virus model that incorporates (1) parasitic interactions between honeybees and the Varroa mites; (2) five virus transmission terms betwe...

A novel feeding protocol for delivery of bio-active agents to Varroa mites was developed by providing mites with honey bee larva hemolymph supplemented with cultured insect cells and selected materials delivered on a fibrous cotton substrate. Mites were starved, fed on treated hemolymph to deliver selected agents and then returned to bee larvae. Transcript levels of two reference genes, actin a...

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) have attracted much attention due to their widespread occurrence and high copy numbers in eukaryotic genomes. However, the systematic knowledge about MITEs in insects and other animals is still lacking. In this study, we identified 6012 MITE families from 98 insect species genomes. Comparison of these MITEs with known MITEs in the NCBI non...

BACKGROUND The effectiveness of acaricides in homes is controversial. OBJECTIVE To determine whether disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) combined with vacuuming lowers dust mite numbers and their allergens in carpets and sofas. METHODS A 6-month study was carried out with 93 homes, which were randomized into three groups: (i). active, received DOT; (ii). placebo, received water; and (iii...

The larvae of several species of water mites are ectoparasites on adult mosquitoes, the majority of the mites recorded belonging to the genera Thyas (Thyasidae) and Arrenurus (Arrenuridae). Mullen (1975) presented 238 world-wide records of acarine parasites of mosquitoes but more than half of the observations concerned unidentified or doubtfully identified mites. In Europe parasitism of mosquit...

Mites as parasites infesting fish have been described in a few case reports involving Histiostoma anguillarum, H. papillata, and Schwiebea estradai. We describe the unexpected occurrence of oribatid mites of the genus Trhypochthoniellus on farmed tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The fish had mites on the skin, fins, and gills, as well as in the mouth. The morphological characteristics of the mite...

Since the introduction of varroa mites (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman, 2000), the impact of tracheal mites on bees has been largely overshadowed or ignored. Tracheal mites are still present in bees, and may be responsible for some unexplained colony losses. If they cause bee mortality, it is important to be able to identify their presence and at what levels. This paper illustrates a qu...

The effect of imidacloprid on fecundity in twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch, was investigated in laboratory experiments using individual females on bean leaf discs. Mites were directly exposed to spray formulations of imidacloprid or fed on discs cut from a systemically treated bean plant. Imidacloprid-treated T. urticae produced 10-26% more eggs during the first 12 d of adult ...