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.
Mite levels are usually highest in the fall.
Trachael mites are found across the state. Control Tracheal mites have spread throughout the country aided by the movement of man. It may be helpful to avoid mixing populations of heavily infested bees with noninfested or lightly infested colonies. There is presently only one chemical registered for use in a bee colony against the tracheal mite, and that is menthol crystals. With temperatures below 60 degrees F and above 80 degrees F, the menthol can be ineffective or harmful to the colony.