Since then, the mite has spread throughout the state leaving few hives unaffected. Economic Importance In North Carolina, severe losses have been encountered causing entire apiaries to die. Infested colonies are most likely to succumb during the stressful overwintering period, regardless of honey stores. In addition to the economic losses incurred by beekeepers from reduced honey production and pollination fees, vegetable and fruit often rely on rented hives for crop pollination. A shortage of hives could adversely impact grower production or cause pollination rental fees to increase.
Mites feed on the body fluids of the bee from the inside of the trachea and can be very numerous.
Damage to flight muscle may result. The actual process by which mites cause the death of a bee is uncertain. Because there are no reliable field indications, the presence of the mites in a colony may go unnoticed for as many as five years until the mite population builds to a point where the colony becomes weak, unproductive and eventually dies. However, the only way to positively identify trachal mite infestations is by microscopic examination. Fifty living bees from a hive are placed in alcohol, sliced through the thorax, cleared in a solution and the breathing tubes examined for the presence of mites.