Honey Bee Parasites, Pests, Predators and Diseases

Severely infested trachea

The tracheae of severely infested bees have brown blotches, with brown scabs or crust-like lesions, or they may appear completely black, and are obstructed by numerous mites in different stages of development. Feeding by the mites damages the walls of the tracheae. Flight muscles in the bee's thorax may also become atrophied as a result of a severe infestation.