Tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi, were found for the first time in the USA on 3 July 1984. I estimate that half of the honeybee colonies in the USA have died as a result of mite infestations since that time. There are no official data and I make up this figure from the reports I have received from my counterparts in other states and beekeepers. If anything, this estimate is conservative. I know beekeepers who have lost from 50 to 80% of their colonies in a single winter. Losses have been less in the south and California, though they have been serious in these areas too. Migratory beekeepers with southern operations have had a great advantage and have made up their losses more rapidly than others by growing queens and bees in the early spring under favourable southern conditions
