mites in a cell

[jmgi]

How many mites generally enter a cell at one time to reproduce? John

[sfisher]

I think one female.

[Mike Gillmore]

One mated female.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/doc...d=2744&page=14

[beemandan]

I think one female.

One mated female.

Not so fast guys. During spring and summer brooding this may be typical…although not absolute. But as brood production winds down at the end of the season there are often multiple (two and sometimes more) mated female mites entering those limited number of available brood cells. This extra heavy parisitization(?) of overwintering bees is one reason why fall/winter colony collapse from varroa is common.
Also consider…when a single female mite reproduces in a cell, all of her progeny mate with their brother. In that fashion mites are quite inbred. Were it not for those times when multiple foundress mites reproduced in the same cell there would be no sharing of genetic material…..almost certainly dooming the species in the long haul.

[jim lyon]

Also consider…when a single female mite reproduces in a cell, all of her progeny mate with their brother. In that fashion mites are quite inbred. Were it not for those times when multiple foundress mites reproduced in the same cell there would be no sharing of genetic material…..almost certainly dooming the species in the long haul.

That's an interesting perspective Dan and one that makes perfect sense. It always intrigued me that varroa could survive their inbreeding without getting weakened.

[jim lyon]

Let me take this one logical step further. By reducing late summer/fall mite overloads with timely treatments then wouldn't it stand to reason that cross breeding would rarely happen and the mite could suffer as a result?

[beemandan]

cross breeding would rarely happen and the mite could suffer as a result?

If we could only suppress the mite populations in all of the bee colonies...that might help. I'm thinkin' there will always be some untreated and feral colonies and even in the treated, low mite population hives there will probably be a few incidental multifoundress events.
They've survived a gazillion years....I'm guessing that they'll be around in another gazillion.

[jmgi]

beemandan, you must be correct about multiple foundress mites entering a singe cell because in reading Mel Disselkoen he says that is exactly what happens after the brood break when doing splits and they raise a queen, the first new brood is occupied by multiple mites because they are desperate to breed. John