Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Range expansion of the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae) among Japanese honey bee, Apis cerana japonica, in Japan

  • Published:
Experimental and Applied Acarology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Acarapis woodi, a parasitic mite of honey bees, was first detected in Japan in 2010. Infestation was mostly observed in the Japanese honey bee (Apis cerana japonica) and was rare in the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). By 2014, the mites had spread throughout central and eastern Japan. In the current study, we investigated the subsequent expansion of the mite to western Japan. Our research revealed that the mites were distributed across most of Japan by 2018, except for Wakayama and Kochi prefectures. Many small remote islands more than 20 km away from mainland Japan are still free of A. woodi, but bees on some of these islands were infested. About 40% of colonies of the Japanese honey bee in Japan were infested by the mites, and average mite prevalence of the infested colonies was about 50% during the 6-year study. There was no trend of decline in the infested colony proportion or in the mite prevalence. In addition, the observation of Japanese honey bee colonies by hobby beekeepers for two signs of mite infestation, K-wing and crawling bees, was an effective means for estimating infestation by tracheal mites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bacandritsos NK, Saitanis CJ (2004) A field study on the long-term incidence of Acarapis woodi in Greece. J Apic Res 43:21–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey L (1985) Acarapis woodi: a modern appraisal. Bee World 66:99–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey L (1999) The century of Acarapis woodi. Am Bee J 139:541–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Couvillon MJ, Riddell Pearce FC, Accleton C, Fensome KA, Quah SKL, Taylor EL, Ratnieks FLW (2015) Honey bee foraging distance depends on month and forage type. Apidologie 46:61–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danka RG, Villa JD (2000) A survey of tracheal mite resistance levels in US commercial queen breeder colonies. Am Bee J 140:405–407

    Google Scholar 

  • Delfinado-Baker M (1985) An acarologist's view: the spread of the tracheal mite of honey bees in the United States. Am Bee J 125:689–690

    Google Scholar 

  • Eischen FA (1987) Overwintering performance of honey bee colonies heavily infested with Acarapis woodi (Rennie). Apidologie 18:293–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eischen FA, Cardoso-Tamez D, Wilson WT, Dietz A (1989) Honey production of honey bee colonies infested with Acarapis woodi (Rennie). Apidologie 20:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eischen FA, Pettis JS, Dietz A (1986) Prevention of Acarapis woodi; infestation in queen honey bees with Amitraz. Am Bee J 126:498–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Kojima Y, Toki T, Morimoto T, Yoshiyama M, Kimura K, Kadowaki T (2011a) Infestation of Japanese native honey bees by tracheal mite and virus from non-native European honey bees in Japan. Microb Ecol 62:895–906

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kojima Y, Yoshiyama M, Kimura K, Kadowaki T (2011b) PCR-based detection of a tracheal mite of the honey bee Acarapis woodi. J Invert Path 108:135–137

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzen K, Gary NE (1986) Modified dissection technique for diagnosis of tracheal mites (Acari: Tarsonemidae) in honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Econ Entmol 79:1401–1403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maeda T (2015) Infestation of honey bees by tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi, in Japan. J Acarol Soc Jpn 24:9–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maeda T (2016) Effects of tracheal mite infestation on Japanese honey bee, Apis cerana japonica. J Acarol Soc Jpn 25:109–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maeda T, Sakamoto Y (2016) Tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi, greatly increase overwinter mortality in colonies of the Japanese honeybee, Apis cerana japonica. Apidologie 47:762–770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maeda T, Sakamoto Y, Okabe K, Taki H, Yoshiyama M, Goka K, Kimura K (2015) Tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae), of honey bees: biology, impact on honey bees and occurrence in Japan. Appl Entomol Zool 59:109–126 In Japanese

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMullan JB, Brown MJ (2009) A qualitative model of mortality in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies infested with tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi). Exp Appl Acarol 47:225–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2019a) Annual Statistics of Notifiable Animal Infectious Diseases. https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/ap_health/animal/attach/pdf/index-14.pdf Accessed 30 Oct 2019

  • Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2019b) The outbreak situation of the monitoring epidemic. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/syouan/douei/kansi_densen/kansi_densen.html Accessed 30 Oct 2019 In Japanese

  • Moore PA, Wilson ME, Skinner JA (2017) Honey bee tracheal mites: Gone? But not for good. eXtension.org:74070

  • Morison GD, Jeffree EP, Murray L, Allen MD (1956) Acarine and nosema diseases of honeybees in Britain, 1925–47. Bull Entomol Res 46:753–759

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura C (1988) A review on the bionomics of the acarine mite, Acarapis woodi. Honeybee Science 91:7–12

    Google Scholar 

  • OIE (2008).Chapter 2.2.1. Acarapisosis of honey bees. In OIE Terrestrial Manual 2010: World Organisation for Animal Health

  • Orantes FJ, García-Fernández P (1997) A scientific note on the current low levels of honey bee tracheal mite in southern Spain. Apidologie 28:149–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otis GW (1990) Results of a survey on the economic impact of tracheal mites. Am Bee J 130:28–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Otis GW, Scott-Dupree CD (1992) Effects of Acarapis woodi on overwintered colonies of honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in New York. J Econ Entmol 85:40–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team (2019) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing (Version 3.6.0). R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/

  • Rennie J (1921) Isle of Wight disease in hive bees - acarine disease: the organism associated with the disease - Tarsonemus woodi, n. sp. Earth Environ Sci Trans R Soc 52:768–779

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto Y, Maeda T, Yoshiyama M, Konnno F, Pettis JS (2019) Differential autogrooming response to the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi by the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Insectes Soc. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-019-00732-w

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto Y, Maeda T, Yoshiyama M, Pettis JS (2017) Differential susceptibility to the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi between Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Apidologie 48:150–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sammataro D, De Guzman L, George S, Ochoa R, Otis G (2013) Standard methods for tracheal mite research. J Apic Res 52:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sammataro D, Gerson U, Needham G (2000) Parasitic mites of honey bees: life history, implications, and impact. Ann Rev Entomol 45:519–548

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seeley TD, Morse RA (1978) Nest site selection by the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Insects Soc 25:323–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shutler D, Head K, Burgher-MacLellan KL, Colwell MJ, Levitt AL, Ostiguy N, Williams GR (2014) Honey bee Apis mellifera parasites in the absence of Nosema ceranae fungi and Varroa destructor mites. PLoS ONE 9:e98599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stachurska-Hagen T, Al-Touama Z, Dahle B, Robertson LJ (2018) Molecular methods indicate lack of spread of Acarapis woodi introduced to honey bees in western Norway. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 11:49–54

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson WT, Pettis JS, Henderson CE, Morse RA (1997) Tracheal mites. In: Morse RA, Flottum K (eds) Honey bee pests, predators, and diseases, 3rd edn. A. I. Root Company, Medina, pp 255–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida T (1997a) Japanese honeybee, ecology and its rearing methods. II. Honeybee Sci 18:65–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida T (1997b) Japanese honeybee, ecology and its rearing methods III. Honeybee Science 18:137–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshiyama M, Kimura K (2018) Bee diversity and current status of beekeeping in Japan. In: Chantawannakul P, Williams G, Neumann P (eds) Asian beekeeping in the 21th century. Springer, Singapore, pp 223–245

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Tetsuhiko Sasaki (Tamagawa University) and Prof. Jun Nakamura (Tamagawa University) for important information about mite-infested European honey bees in Tokyo, Dr. Kiyoshi Kimura (Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) for offering stocked samples, and the many private beekeepers throughout Japan who provided bee samples and information. This work was supported (in part) by a Grant for Environmental Research Projects from the Sumitomo Foundation, no. 153283, and KAKENHI grant no. 26290074 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0851, Japan

    Taro Maeda

  2. National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Yoshiko Sakamoto

Authors
  1. Taro Maeda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yoshiko Sakamoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

TM designed the study, collected and dissected samples, conducted the statistical analysis, interpreted the data, and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; YS assisted in collecting and dissecting samples and critically reviewed the manuscript. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Taro Maeda.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 33 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Maeda, T., Sakamoto, Y. Range expansion of the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae) among Japanese honey bee, Apis cerana japonica, in Japan. Exp Appl Acarol 80, 477–490 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00482-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00482-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation