Acarine + Amoeba Flashcards
What is the Latin for acarine (tracheal mites)
Acarapis woodi
What is the infestation of a colony with tracheal mites called?
Acarapisosis
Describe the lifecycle of the acarine mite?
1) Mature female enter the anterior thoracic spiracles
2) She lays eggs in the trachea and the larvae hatch and feed on the haemolymph by penetrating the tracheole walls
3) The mites need to leave the bee so will climb out and hitch a ride on another worker, this needs to be a young bee.
What are the symptoms of acarine infestation?
- Bees appearing confused on the front of the hive
- K- wing (dislocated wing)
- Overwintering bees with shorter life spans
How many offspring will the female acarine mite produce in her life time?
20 offspring
What is the Latin for the amoeba that infects honey bees?
Malpighamoeba mellificae
Describe the lifecycle of Amoeba?
1) On the combs and frames which is cleaned up by a young bee
2) They are passed to the mid-gut
3) The cyst grows a flagellum and swings to the malpighian tubules
4) Multiplys at the expense of the tubule lining, the cysts are then passed into the rectum and discharged
What are the impacts to individual bees with amoeba infections?
None - they have lots of malpighian tubules so losing 1 or 2 does no harm
What can be done about acarine mites to treat the bees?
Nothing
What can be done to treat for Amoeba?
Do not feed the bees fermented stores or feed liquid after October as this will cause dysentery.
Why do the trachea go dark in infested bees with acarine?
This is melanisiation caused by the mites where they feed.
How is Amoeba identified?
The same diagnosis as Nosema under a microscope and looking for small circular cysts
