Distinguishing Varroa from Tropilaelaps

The quickest way to tell varroa from Tropilaelaps is to look at shape and movement: varroa is broad, dark and slow; Tropilaelaps is elongated, small, light-coloured and runs very fast. Telling them apart matters, because the monitoring methods differ and Tropilaelaps is a notifiable pest in Türkiye.

Why do they need to be told apart?

Both mites reproduce in capped brood, carry viruses and will cause the colony to collapse if nothing is done. However, while varroa also lives for long periods on adult bees, Tropilaelaps is found almost only in the brood. A monitoring routine set up for varroa can easily miss Tropilaelaps; and a wrong diagnosis means lost time and the wrong control.

The differences at a glance

Telling them apart in the field

1. Look at how it moves

In the field the quickest sign is movement. If, when you open brood or lift a frame, you see a small mite running away quickly across the comb surface, it is not varroa. Varroa stays put or walks slowly.

2. Look at its shape

Put the mite on a white background and look at it with a magnifying glass. A shield-like body that is wider than it is long is varroa. A clearly elongated, oval-rectangular body points to Tropilaelaps.

3. Look at where you found it

Almost all mites clinging to the back of an adult bee or between its abdominal segments are varroa. Tropilaelaps you will mostly find in an opened cell, on the pupa.

Why does the monitoring method change?

The practical upshot: a clean sugar roll is not proof that Tropilaelaps is absent. In a colony with a low varroa count but deteriorating brood, always open brood.

Other creatures that may be confused with them

Not every small reddish-brown creature is a mite. To avoid false alarms, know the following:

• Bee louse (Braula coeca): Actually a wingless fly; it has 6 legs (mites have 8), is roundish and reddish-brown. It usually sits on adult bees, frequently on the queen; it does no noticeable harm to the bee.
• Pollen mite (Melittiphis alvearius): A small, round, light-coloured mite; it is seen in hive debris and is considered harmless.

Differences in control

• Drone brood removal: An effective supporting method against varroa; against Tropilaelaps it is weak on its own.
• Oxalic acid: With varroa it reaches the mites on adult bees; because Tropilaelaps is mostly in the brood, its effect is limited.
• Brood break: Works against both; it is even more powerful against Tropilaelaps, because that mite cannot survive long without brood.

If you suspect it

1. Stop moving hives, frames and equipment.
2. Collect the mites in a tightly closing container with alcohol; take photos and, if possible, a short video showing their movement.
3. Report it immediately to the official veterinary service / local agriculture authority. Do not treat on your own; official measures are decided by veterinarians.