A hitch-hiker and a phoront mites on the honeybees (Neocypholaelaps sp.)

 

Neocypholaelaps spp.  Evans, 1963

Order: Mesostigmata

Family: Ameroseiidae

In order to bring food resources (pollen and nectar) to the hives, the honey bee visits flowers. The bee and flowering plants have a mutually beneficial interaction. Mutualism refers to a partnership in which both the flowering plant and the bee are benefited. The blooms supply pollen and nectar in exchange for the bee's pollination service. Bees are impacted by other organisms, which might have a detrimental effect, therefore some relationships are not always advantageous. A bee may come into contact with parasites that can physically alter adults and larvae while also lowering the production of the hive.

Parasitic mites are one of the known threats to honey bees among various organisms. Parasitic mites can be ecto-parasites (live on the body's surface) or endo-parasites (lives inside the body). Varroa mites (V. jacobsoni and V. destructor), Acarapis woodi, and Tropilaelaps clareae are well-known parasites. They are vexing mites for beekeeper communities (De Jong, Morse & Eickwort, 1982).

'Kleptoparasitic' mites are among those parasites (parasite that steal food resources from others). The nectar and pollen feeding mite Neocypholaelaps species completes its life cycle on the flower. They are found on Apis species and in large numbers on beehives during the flowering season (Fan & Jiang, 2015; Klimov et al., 2016). They feed on pollen and nectar collected by bees and also enjoy a free ride on their backs. The bees can transport up to 400 mites on their backs, making the mites a phoront attaching one bee as a mode of transport from one colony to another. Neocypholaelaps typically causes bee flight impairment, which can reduce bee productivity.

I've seen a few Apis cerena with Neocypholaelaps mites on their back (4 and up to 20) and thorax. There is the possibility for a curious researcher or student to learn more about Neocypholaelaps in Bhutan and the types of bee hosts they infest.

References

De Jong, D., Morse, R. A., & Eickwort, G. C. (1982). Mites pests of honey bees. Annual Review of Entomology, 27(1), 229-252.

Fan, Q. H., & Jiang, F. (2014). The tiny flower fairies Neocypholaelaps indica Evans. 1963 (Acari: Ameroseiidae). Systematic and Applied Acarology 19(2), 248-249.

Klimov, P., OConnor, B., Ochoa, R., Bauchan, G., Redford, A., & Scher, R. (2016). Neocypholaelaps. Retrieved from http://idtools.org/id/mites/beemites/factsheet.php?name=15264