Parasitellus (formerly
Parasitus) are obligatory parasites of bumblebees. They are
kleptoparasitic or neutral to beneficial, depending on life stage; females and deutonymphs feed on provisioned pollen, while other stages are predators of small arthropods. Mite deutonymphs are commonly
phoretic on adult bumble bees or cuckoo bumble bees. Phoretic mites prefer queens to other castes (workers and males), since bumble bee colonies are annual and only young queens overwinter.
Class: Arachnida
Subclass: Acari
Order: Mesostigmata
Suborder: Parasitina
Superfamily: Parasitoidea
Family: Parasitidae