Infested colonies will usually die if left untreated, and colony loss may occur within a few months after infestation. In addition to the economic losses incurred by beekeepers, fruit and vegetable growers who depend upon bees to pollinate their crops could suffer shortages. Many observers also feel that there has been a reduction in wild bee colonies. This reddish-brown mite is about the size of a pin head and is easily visible against a light background. Mated female mites move into brood cells with older bee larvae.
Drone brood are preferred, but worker brood are also infested.
Mites will feed on the larval food or puncture the larval body and feed on the bee's blood. The first egg usually hatches into a male and stays within the cell. The other eggs hatch into females and feed and grow within the cell. Next, they mate with the male and emerge from the cell when the bee emerges. The mother mite will seek out another cell while her daughter mites may hitch a ride on an adult bee and feed for awhile before finding a new larval host.