Tropilaelaps: why is it a threat to the UK? - Maggie Gill

Описание: Like varroa, Tropilaelaps are brood parasites that feed and reproduce in honey bee brood. They naturally infest giant Asian honey bees, but have jumped species to western honey bees (Apis mellifera) causing significant colony losses in areas they are found. These high losses are due to Tropilaelaps’ ability to reproduce more quickly than varroa as well as causing more damage to brood when they feed.

With ever increasing global trade providing new transmission routes, and climate change expanding the areas these mites can survive in Tropilaelaps is an emerging global threat to beekeeping. Following much the same route that varroa did back in the 1980s Tropilaelaps was confirmed in Europe for the first time in 2024 in the Krasnodar region, after beekeepers there reported high colony losses for a number of years before its presence was confirmed.

Find out more about this little-known mites biology, behaviour and distribution and the threat that it poses to UK beekeeping. Also find out about the latest research, how our understanding of Tropilaelaps is changing and new discoveries about treatment options.

Maggie Gill has been involved in beekeeping for 20 years, producing queens and colonies on a small commercial scale and conducting research. As a senior scientist at Defra for the UK government, her focus is on how agri-environment land management affects pollinators as a part of the Future Farming and Countryside Programme. Additionally, Maggie spent 10 years working for the National Bee Unit as part of the UK governments bee health monitoring programme as both a seasonal and regional bee inspector.

Driven by her passion for bees and environmental conservation, Maggie has engaged in honey bee research, examining pollinator nutrition, as well as pests and diseases. Her collaborative efforts have spanned universities, government departments, and research institutes across Europe, North America, and Asia.

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