Time-activity budgets and space structuring by the different life stages of <i>Varroa jacobsoni</i> in capped brood of the honey bee, <i>Apis mellifera</i>

<i>Varroa jacobsoni</i> reproduces in honey bee brood cells. Here the behavioral activity and use of space by infestingVarroa females and progeny were quantified in transparent artificial brood cells. The time-activity budget of both infesting and developing mites converged toward a stable pattern which was established during the bee prepupal stage of the infesting mites and the protonymphal stage of mite progeny. The pattern was such that infesting females and offspring eventually divided their activity between the fecal accumulation on the cell wall, which served as the rendezvous site for newly molted individuals, and the feeding site prepared on the pupa by the foundress. Other parts of the cell wall were used for oviposition and molting, away from the fecal accumulation on which activity of mobile stages was concentrated. Space structuring and the time-activity budget in <i>Varroa</i> probably evolved to enhance the number of fertilized females produced within the capped brood, where space and time are limiting factors. These behavioral adaptations parallel those of other mite species which show group behavior within cavities.