For the ectoparasite Varroa jacobsoni there are several key morphological features that make them successful. Also, being in this location probably slows water loss by transpiration across their integument. When adult mites enter the brood cell this same morphology allows them to fit between the cell wall and the brood body surface. A special snorkel-like respiratory structure extends through the fluid's surface to facilitate breathing while submerged. Like tracheal mites, Varroa can evade acaricides when the brood cell is capped just prior to pupation.
Mites are a common inhabitant of the bee colony.
Some 86 mite species have been recorded in association with Apis and their nests, but most are neutral or benign in nature. Predatory mites that eat the scavengers. Mites that are honey bee parasites. More research is needed to design novel control strategies that incorporate all we know about the bees and their mites. T.C. Webster and K.S. Delaplane, Eds.