A scientific note on ‘Rapid brood decapping’—a method for assessment of honey bee (Apis mellifera) brood infestation with Tropilaelaps mercedesae

Abstract

Tropilaelaps mercedesae is a parasitic mite species that negatively affects the health of Apis mellifera colonies. Recent reports show that it is spreading westwards, through Central Asia into Europe. Several field and laboratory methods have been proposed to detect Tropilaelaps spp. in A. mellifera colonies; however, most of them are recognised to be either laborious, costly or ineffective for detecting the mites, and some are even destructive to the colony. Here, we introduce a novel method for detecting and monitoring T. mercedesae based on the mite's characteristic biology (reduced feeding as bee pupae mature, brief dispersal phase on adult bees and agility) and the use of wax strips for decapping sealed brood area. Sealed worker brood cells at the development stage of white to purple-eyed pupae are swiftly decapped with wax strips to observe and count surfacing adult mites. The results from our study show supporting evidence of over 90% detection efficacy and brood survival, and ease of application. Therefore, we recommend the novel ‘Rapid brood decapping’ method as a reliable tool for detecting and monitoring T. mercedesae infestation. This method is suitable for beekeeping and research settings, being less invasive and stressful for colonies compared to other existing methods, cost-effective and quick.