Mites are the most abundant parasites on insects. A well known one is the Varroa-Mite (Varroa destructor), a parasite of the honeybee. But there are many other species of mites that have specialized on insects as host. Mites may have already been parasites on dinosaurs, as findings in amber revealed 250-million year old fossils.
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Larger insects sometimes carry a whole group of mites, like this jewel beetle. Below the wing cover they are quite save and hard to get rid of. Generally, we have to make a difference between outer parasites, like mites and inner parasites, like fungi. Outer parasites are usually easy to spot while fungi typically only appear when they produce spores for reproduction. Some mites on insects are not really parasitic, but only use insects as transport vehicle. This form of parasitism is called phoresy or probiosis.
Sometimes, mites and hosts are of the same size.
Ticks are also parasitic mites. Their hosts are mammals, including humans. Ticks are themselves hosts of parasitic fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae).
Parasites that infest wasps are species of the order Strepsidera (Xenos vesparum). The female parasite lives inside a wasp. This parasite controls the behaviour of the wasp. The freely flying male parasite can mate with the female that is showing between the cuticula plates of the wasp.
Not only wasps, but also wild bees are target of Xenos vesprum.
Highly specialized parasitic fungi, Hesperomyces virescens, can be found on the asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) only.
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Transport-parasitism of the pseudoscorpion: The pseudoscorpion, a relative of mites and spiders, waits at a spot that is attractive for ichneumonid wasps. It approaches a larger ichneumonid wasp and grasps one of their legs with its pincer.
The tiny and wingless pseudoscorpion can so get an airlift to a remote spot that is again likely to be attractive for ichneumonids and pseudoscorpions.
Pseudoscorpions do not have a stinger and are absolutely harmless.
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