[Phoebee]

This particular mite is not faster than a cheetah, in km/hr. It is, however, the fastest in terms of body lengths per hour.

This is not the Varroa mite. But I recall the first time I saw those little devils moving on a video, and they're a lot faster than you would think from their still pictures. Much faster than dog ticks, I think.

Paratarsotomus macropalpis

I expect this link will eventally die:

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/a...8/worlds-fastest-land-animal-cheetah-mite.htm

 

[Michael Bush]

For a year or so after I first learned what a Varroa mite looked like I only saw them on bees and usually in a stationary mode. The first time I saw one move was in the observation hive when a bee had one on its back and was doing the "get it off me" dance. Another bee finally responded and tried to help and the mite jumped from the first bee to the second one. The first wondered off looking relieved while the second one did the "get it off me" dance...

About a year later I saw one running across a comb. Very fast!

 

[NeilV]

Diana Sammataro gave a talk at the Big Bee Buzz a few years ago about mites in general and all the weird specialized ways they live. A couple I remember are a mite that lives in the slime trails of a snail and one that lives in the nose of a certain kind of seal. Basically, they live in every niche you could imagine and lots more that you couldn't imagine.

If you can get her to come talk to your bee club, have her give the mite talk.