| Braulidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Braula coeca on the head of an East African lowland honey bee | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Superfamily: | Carnoidea |
| Family: | Braulidae Egger, 1853 |
| Genera | |
Braulidae, orbee lice, is a family oftrue flies (Diptera) with seven species in two genera,Braula andMegabraula.[2] They are found inhoney bee colonies due to theirphoretic,inquiline, andkleptoparasitic relationships with the bees. Similar in appearance but not closely related tokeds, these flies are also small, wingless, and occasionally mistaken[2] for mites or lice, hence theircommon name.
The first discovery of Braulidae was ofBraula coeca, in 1818 byChristian Ludwig Nitzch, a German zoologist. In 1986, the genusMegabraula was discovered byDavid Grimaldi, an American entomologist. Braulidae are found throughout the world in Africa, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America.[3] Since they prefer queen bees as hosts, they are thought to have been brought to the United States by queen importation. Many species of Braulidae are thought to have different host honey bee races. Some of these includeB. Kohli andB.pretoriensis which are restricted toCarniolan and middle eastern honey bee races andB.schmitzi with the Italian race[2]. B. coeca is the most widely known Braulidae species, most commonly seen on honey bees around the world.
The adult Braulidae life-cycle is intimately connected with that of honey bees. The adults roam around on adult honey bees, feeding on their mouth secretions. Although they do not harm the bees, they may be a major nuisance to them in certain areas. As adults, they will eat honey and when available, preferringroyal jelly. The adults are nimble and scramble for food being fed to the queen. When present, Braulidae are most likely found in bee hives, and at times on flowers waiting for bees to hang onto. Once the adults become mature, their eggs are laid on honey bee wax cappings.
Size of Braulidae may vary.Braula will be about 1.6mm and theMegabraula will be about 3mm.[2] They have reduced eyes located just above the antennae, their antennae are hidden in grooves, and their legs are short and robust. Unlike most flies, they lack wings orhalteres. They are reddish-brown in color, have a 5-segmented tarsus, and their thorax is only half as long as their head. They also lack a distinctscutellum on the metathorax.[2]
The larvae of Braulidae are maggot-like with a flattened posterior end and pointed anterior end. They tunnel through wax and comb feeding on the wax and pollen. Because they are in the suborder Schizophora, they emerge from the puparium through the use of theptilinum, an eversible sack on the front of the head that inflates to burst a circular exit from the end of the puparium.
Although Braulidae may be seen on adult honey bees, they are most commonly seen on queen bees. Several (up to 30 reported) can be found on a queen bee at one time, whereas there may only be one or two at most on worker honey bees.
Since its discovery, the phylogenetic placement of Braulidae has been uncertain. Up until the 20th century, because of its unique characteristics, scientists were unaware of its placement.[2] Since very little is known about Braulidae, the speciesBraula coeca has been the most studied.
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