Bee Mite ID - an online resource on identification of mites associated with bees of the World

A number of bee pollinators and their ecological services are facing sharp declines due to habitat destruction, pesticide use, pathogen spillover from commercial colonies, and other causes (Buchmann and Ascher, 2005; Colla and Packer, 2008; Gallai et al., 2009; Mazer, 2007; Potts et al., 2010). In particular, significant losses of European honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations due to diseases and attacks by parasitic mites could result in failure of crops requiring pollination an estimated 35% of the human diet. Currently, the development of alternative, non-Apis pollinators is underway. Of these, mason bees (Osmia spp.) and bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are the most important. As the pollinator trade increases worldwide, the opportunity for introductions of new harmful mites and/or host switching also substantially increases (Goka, 2010; Goka et al., 2001, 2006). In addition to the direct threat posed by parasitic mites, mites colonizing new hosts may spread harmful pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi (Cornman et al., 2010). Only quarantine measures can prevent this situation. Unfortunately, implementing these measures is difficult because bee-associated mites are understudied, the taxonomic information is scattered, incomplete and difficult to access by the non-specialist, and few revisionary works are available. As an example, our survey of published literature records yielded 715 species, 219 genera, and 89 families of known bee-associated mites, most of which are known from honey bees (294 species) or bumblebees (91 species). For many of these mites, the geographical distributions, host ranges, and their basic biology (e.g., mites’ roles in bee-mite associations: harmful, nearly neutral, or mutualistic) are unknown. As a result of this impediment, the likelihood of potential cross-border travel of harmful bee mites greatly increases. This is a critical flaw that needs to be remedied by developing a computer-assisted identification system accessible on a worldwide