Acarapis woodi Tracheal mite on honey bee hair. T. C. Webster Mites and eggs in honey bee tracheal system. Tracheal mites were first detected in the United States in 1984 and have since caused the loss of tens of thousands of colonies and millions of dollars. Tracheal mites infest the tracheal system of the adult honey bee. Levels are highest during the winter and spring.
Mites prefer adult bees less than four days old.
Once they are on the bee, mites are attracted to carbon dioxide emissions and enter the spiracles located on the thorax which lead to the tracheal system. They puncture the wall of the trachea and suck the hemolymph of the bee. Tracheal mites live, breed and lay eggs in the tracheal system. The adults and eggs plug the tubes of the trachea which impairs oxygen exchange. They also spread secondary diseases and pathogens since they puncture the trachea in order to feed.