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Tracheal Mites Quiz


  1. 1. Mites, ticks, insects, crayfish, lobsters,spiders and honey bees (insects) all belong to the Phylum


  2. 11. Unlike insects with their six set of legs (3 pair) mites have ___ legs or ___ pairs of legs


  3. 2. Adult insects including the honey bee have 3 main body parts,head, thorax and abdomen, on the other hand mites have only 2 main body regions, the head region is called the gnathosoma and the the other region the idiosoma which contains the ___ and the ___ of mite


  4. 12. Tracheal mites were first found to be present in the Americas in the early 1980's in what county


  5. 3. Tracheal mites feed, mate and reproduce in the tracheae(respiratory passages) of (check one of the following), young larva, pupae, or


  6. 13. Mature tracheal mites(females) emerge from their host and seek young(callow) bees usually


  7. 4. While residing inside the tracheae, mites not only mate and produce their offspring, but injury their host by feeding on their ___ and while doing so damage the bee's ___ apparatus


  8. 14. Mite counts are usually low during the summer season as infected bees with a short life span(5 to 6 weeks) die taking their mites to the grave with them. However some time starting in mid summer, bees develop that are referred to as summer bees with an extended longevity, these bees carry their parasites with them into their winter cluster, here their concentration intensifies and the colony is likely to be _____ or die off as a consequence


  9. 5. Tracheal mites infect all members of a bee colony which include what three things?


  10. 15. Although we know somewhat more about the female tracheal mite and her activities very little is known about the ___ mite.


  11. 6. When dissecting a bee for the presence of mites, a healthy non infested trachea will be ___ or ___ in color


  12. 16. There are at least 3 methods by which mites are dispersed, drifting of workers and drones, robbing and by


  13. 7. Mature female mites exit the tracheal system only to reenter the tracheal system of another


  14. 17. External signs of the presents of mites in bees include,a dwindling bee population,weak bees crawling on the ground, bees with K wing, piles of dead bees in front of the hive and an abandoned hive with plenty of honey stores,yet only an internal examination of the trachea may reveal that the are responsible for the observations one witnesses.


  15. 8. Tracheal mites can be controlled with several different chemicals: list four different chemicals that can be used to control these mites. Remember when using chemicals in your bee colonies strictly follow ALL instruction on the labels.


  16. 18. Mature female tracheal mites only lay their eggs inside the first pair of -------tracheae------tubes located on the bee (give body part)


  17. 9. When male and female mites mate they do so (circle one), on any external part of the bee, somewhere on the bees antennae, areas yet to be defined


  18. 19. Heavy infestations of tracheal mites are most likely to be found in the fall and early in the spring, please provide a short answer as to why


  19. 10. Since some of the chemicals used for varroa mites also are effective for use on tracheal mites, when one treats for either mite one may also in effect have treated for the other if the time of the year is nearly the same.


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