Bumble bee mites

[clairebs]

Hi,
This morning i found a dead B terrestris queen next to a flower, she was covered in pollen, probiscis out. It looked like she'd dropped dead in her tracks. On closer inspection she was crawling with pink mites, about 2mm long. I keep going back to look in the hope she was just cold and still alive, but nothing has changed and i am seeing mites emerging from her abdomen so i guess these are what killed her.
Can anyone tell me more about the mites please? How much of a threat are they? Also should i boil the bee to kill them to stop them spreading? Please excuse my ignorance, this is my first proper garden since i was a kid and im just rediscovering the fascination.
Thanks
Claire

[haematocephalus]

From Ted Benton's book Bumblebees (New Naturalist series):

"Most [mites] are believed to be harmless commensals [i.e. they just live alongside the bees, not affecting them], and there is even some evidence that they may be beneficial, as they consume moulds and detritus in the nest. However, there is also the possibility that they may act as vectors for virulent microorganisms."

I think the above refers mainly to those mites that can be found 'hitching a lift' on bumblebees; if you have seen mites emerging from the queen's body then they could be tracheal mites, which are internal parasites of the bees. According to Ted Benton, there is mixed evidence as to whether these actually cause significant harm.

Difficult to know whether the mites contributed to the bee's death in this case, queen bees do suffer quite heavy mortality anyway, and given the recent weather may just have succumbed to the cold, with the mites now being left homeless as well.

Personally I would leave bee and mites where they are and let nature take its course (mites are wildlife too!).

Martin


Martin Harvey

[Paul mabbott]

Does varroa affect bumble bees?
http://beebase.csl.gov.uk/pdfs/managing_varroa.pdf

[eucera]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Does varroa affect bumble bees?
http://beebase.csl.gov.uk/pdfs/managing_varroa.pdf

No! Just Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by eucera

No! Just Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

A small mercy, at least ....

[The Black Rabbit]

A picture I took a few weeks ago...

This Queen Bombus was very much alive, if slightly irritated by her extra baggage.
Click HERE if you want to rid your bee of mites.... (honestly).

[Kayleigh]

yuk! they look like bee ticks...

[redmerlin]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

A picture I took a few weeks ago...

This Queen Bombus was very much alive, if slightly irritated by her extra baggage.
Click HERE if you want to rid your bee of mites.... (honestly).

Hi There
I too have done this. I found yet another heavily infected bumblebee that was unable to fly at the week end... it works a treat. The bee flew off after drying out on kitchen paper in an open carcboard box. I am of the opinion that too many mites are detrimental. It would be interesting to conduct some balanced observations. Though quite how would be a challenge to any wildlife behaviourist!
There seems to be more bees this year having problems with mites that I have evr seen. maybe the cool wet weather is to blame. perhaps less food and weaker bees.

[kareg]

Thanks for the advise about dunking the bee in tepid water.
Today, before I read the advise, I found a very tired, hungry and infested bumbel bee. Found it floating in the pool, thought it was a gonner. scooped it out with my hand and had a nip, so was definate alive. On closer inspection found it was crawling with mites, a cluster above its right front leg and a cluster on its back between its wings. Got some runny honey out to feed it, but was not interested as it was annoyed with the itch. Tryed wet cotton buds to lift the mites, no good. Tryed it with tweezers, but was frightened to hurt the bee, so then dipped the tip of the tweezers into the honey and pressed it gently onto the mites, witch stuck onto it, bit by bit, about an hours work and a very well behaved bumble bee, I got them all off. The moment the bee was mite free, it started looking for the honey, it fed for 20 minutes, must have been starving, gave itself a good clean and a buzz and flew away onto the wisteria.

[Livvy]

This is all good advice! I found a little bumble bee that had been caught in a heavy down pour. It's acting very lethargic and has quite a few mites. I've tried offering it sugar water but it's not interested... Wandering around with it's proboscis out though... :/
I've left the poor thing on some kitchen roll in a box with some sugar water and flowers, but not sure what else to do.

- Karreg - I read information that says you should not feed bees honey. Sugar water is the best option.