[Developmental stages of the mite Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans, 1904 (Acari: Dermanyssidae)]

The mite Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans, 1904, is a dangerous parasite of bees which has spread over Europe and other continents in recent two decades. The rapid spreading of the parasite has become a serious problem to veterinarians and bee-keepers in many countries of the world. The development of the mite Varroa jacobsoni has not yet been studied in all details. A detailed taxonomic description of the developmental stages of female and male mite is presented. The female develops from egg into larva, nymph I and nymph II. No deutonymph II has been found in the development of the males, so it is assumed that, like in some other parasitic mite species, this stage is missing in the development of Varroa jacobsoni males. It has been concluded from the morphology of the mouth parts that the adult male cannot parasitize the pupae nor adult bees and that it does not take in food during its short life.