| Locustacarus buchneri | |
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| Larviform female, dorsal view | |
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| Species: | L. buchneri |
| Binomial name | |
| Locustacarus buchneri (Stammer, 1951) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Bombacarus buchneriStammer, 1951 | |
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]
