Tropilaelaps: The Mite British Beekeepers Need to Know About
We don't have Tropilaelaps in the UK. But recent events mean British beekeepers should probably start getting familiar with the name.
Most beekeepers in Britain know Varroa. We look for it, monitor it and make decisions about managing it as part of looking after our colonies.
There is another parasitic mite, however, that British beekeepers are likely to hear considerably more about: Tropilaelaps.
Until relatively recently, it could have seemed like a problem happening a very long way from our apiaries. That is becoming harder to say.
On 31 August 2026, an outbreak of Tropilaelaps spp. was confirmed in Çavuşlu in Artvin Province, Turkey (officially Türkiye). In response, Great Britain suspended imports from Turkey of honey bees, used beekeeping equipment, unprocessed apiculture by-products and certain products in honeycomb. Those restrictions came into force on 4 September.
That does not mean Tropilaelaps has arrived in Britain. It hasn't: the current official position is that the mite is not thought to be present in the UK. But its movement westwards makes this a pest worth understanding before, rather than after, we have a problem.
So what is Tropilaelaps?
Tropilaelaps mites are tiny parasitic mites. They naturally infest the giant Asian honey bee, Apis dorsata. When western honey bees, Apis mellifera, were introduced into Asia for beekeeping, however, they were brought into the geographical range of Apis dorsata and its parasites. This created the opportunity for Tropilaelaps to cross to a new host, where it proved capable of feeding and reproducing in western honey bee brood.
That matters because our western honey bees do not have the same natural relationship with the parasite.
Like Varroa, Tropilaelaps mites reproduce in honey bee brood and feed on developing bees. An infestation can result in irregular brood patterns and adult bees emerging with shortened abdomens or deformed wings. As the infestation develops, colonies can suffer major decline, with fewer healthy bees emerging and surviving adult bees having shorter lifespans. Heavily infested colonies may swarm or abscond, and severe infestation can ultimately result in entire colony collapse.
At roughly 1mm long and 0.5mm wide, reddish-brown and very fast moving, they're also not necessarily easy to spot.
Isn't that basically another Varroa?
There are similarities, certainly. Both are parasitic mites, both reproduce within honey bee brood and some of the damage seen in an affected colony can look remarkably similar.
But treating Tropilaelaps as simply “another Varroa” would be a mistake.
One important difference is where Tropilaelaps spends its time. The mites are closely associated with brood, spending much of their life cycle within sealed brood cells rather than sitting visibly on adult bees. That has consequences for both the speed at which populations can develop and how we look for them.
It also presents an interesting problem for experienced beekeepers: some of the habits we've developed for looking for Varroa aren't necessarily the best ways of looking for Tropilaelaps.
Recent research into detection methods has found substantial differences in how effectively various monitoring techniques pick up the mite. That is one reason researchers and bee-health authorities are working on surveillance methods specifically suited to Tropilaelaps.
Why are we talking about it now?
Because its geographical range has been changing.
The westward spread of Tropilaelaps became particularly significant in 2024, when it was detected in Georgia and the Krasnodar region of Russia. The confirmed outbreak in Turkey in August 2026 has now prompted direct action by the British authorities.
That doesn't mean we should expect to open a hive in Norfolk tomorrow and find it crawling with Tropilaelaps.
It does mean the threat is being taken seriously.
Import controls are an important part of Britain's defence against introduction of the mite, while the National Bee Unit carries out surveillance for exotic pests. Early detection is particularly important because finding an incursion quickly provides the best chance of containing or eradicating it.
What should British beekeepers be looking for?
This isn't something I would encourage people to become paranoid about. It's about knowing what “normal” looks like in your colonies and recognising when something isn't right.
Official guidance identifies possible signs including irregular or poor brood patterns, shortened lifespans among surviving adult bees and bees emerging with shrunken or deformed wings and abdomens. The mites themselves are elongated and reddish-brown.
And there is an important distinction here.
If you genuinely suspect Tropilaelaps, this isn't a case of trying a treatment and seeing what happens.
Tropilaelaps is a notifiable pest in the UK.
A suspected finding should be reported immediately to the National Bee Unit or your local bee inspector. Colonies, equipment or honey should not then be moved from the site until the NBU says it is safe to do so.
From Tristan’s Notebook
Good beekeeping has always involved noticing small changes before they become big ones. Tropilaelaps may never reach one of our hives — and hopefully it won't — but knowing what it looks like and what to do if we suspect it costs us very little.
I'll be putting together a more practical Tropilaelaps field guide for the Norfolk Bees Learning Hub, including identification, signs in the brood and the current approaches to detection.
There's still a lot to learn
One of the fascinating, and slightly uncomfortable, things about Tropilaelaps is that research is still challenging some of the assumptions previously made about it.
For example, it was long assumed that these mites could survive for only a short period away from bee brood. More recent research has shown survival for several days in certain circumstances and has demonstrated that mites can travel with a natural honey bee swarm and survive long enough to reproduce once new brood becomes available.
That changes the way researchers think about potential routes of transmission and demonstrates why continuing research matters.
For ordinary beekeepers, however, the message is much simpler.
Know what you're looking at. Keep an eye on your brood. Maintain good apiary biosecurity. And if you see something you genuinely don't recognise, ask.
There is no benefit in frightening ourselves about a pest that is not currently thought to be present in Britain. There is considerable benefit in learning to recognise it while that is still the case.
Not sure what you're looking at?
If you've spotted something unusual in your hive and would like experienced help identifying the problem, contact Tristan at Norfolk Bees. He can arrange to inspect the colony and help you understand what you're seeing.
If Tropilaelaps is suspected, however, it must be reported immediately to the National Bee Unit or your local bee inspector. Do not move colonies, equipment or honey from the site until advised that it is safe to do so.
National Bee Unit: 0300 303 0094
Email: beehealth.info@defra.gov.uk
Comments