Locustacarus buchneri

Locustacarus buchneri is a parasitic mite that lives in the respiratory air sacs of bumblebees.^[2] They are relatively host-specific and are found primarily in the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto. Bees infested with the mite have a reduced lifespan in laboratory conditions,^[3] and although in one study they foraged at a rate similar to uninfected bees, infected bees showed a greater preference for a single flower type.^[4] Prevalence varies, but infection appears to be more common among commercial colonies than wild populations. Among colonies commercially imported from the Netherlands and Belgium to Japan, infestation rates were 20%.^[5] In South America, prevalence is very low in native populations.^[6] In Canada, there was evidence that commercial bumblebee populations were spreading L. buchneri to wild populations.^[7]

Locustacarus buchneri
Larviform female, dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Subclass:	Acari
Order:	Trombidiformes
Family:	Podapolipidae
Genus:	Locustacarus
Species:	L. buchneri
Binomial name
Locustacarus buchneri (Stammer, 1951)
Synonyms [1]
Bombacarus buchneri Stammer, 1951