Molphological Analysis and Determination of Interference Competition between Two Honeybee Mites: Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps clareae (Acari: Varroidae and Laelapidae)

Abstract

The ectoparasitic honey bee mites was originally confined to the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana etc.). Mites attach to adults and developing brood, where they feed on the hemolymph. If left untreated, mites can deform bees and eventually kill the colony. Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps clareae have plagued European honey bees, Apis mellifera. Differences in mite tolerance are reported between two honey bee species A. mellifera and A. cerana. We counted number of mites (V. destructor and T. clareae) from 20 colonies. V. destructor and T. clareae has very similar behavior in honeybee colony. When behaviorally close, two competing species may populational interfere, and thereby affect their population dynamics. We tested for populational interference (PI) between two populational competing honeybee mites, V. destructor and T. clareae, by investigating their population dynamics when they competed on the same colony. Population of V. destructors are increased during August, whereas population of T. clareaes are decreased. The effects of interspecific competition on the population growth of mites (focus in the colony) are summarized in data. The presence of T. clareae on with V. destructor led to reduce in the change of T. clareae population size at August compared with other season, indicating that some form of interspecific competition occurred between the two species.