An international team of researchers, led by the first author Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Uzunov (UKIM), demonstrated that T. mercedesae mites successfully transfer into a new swarm, with some continuing to reproduce within the newly established colony. This represents the first scientific evidence of parasite transfer through swarming and moreover first evidence that male individual was transferred. The study was conducted in an apiary in Georgia with field and lab work led by Dr. Irakli Janashia and further support from Maggie Gill, Prof. D-r Chen Chao, and the BEE-GUARDS members D-r Cecilia Costa (CREA) and Prof. D-r Marin Kovacic (FAZOS).
The study “Swarming promotes Tropilaelaps mercedesae (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) dispersal in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) “ gained substantial attention, prompting Entomology Today, the publication of the Entomological Society of America, to feature an article dedicated to this important research.
For more details check the links bellow with open access articles:
https://academic.oup.com/jee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jee/toag027/8512193?login=false