Which pest of the honey bee is often confused with the varroa mite?

Braula coeca, also known as the bee louse, is often confused with the varroa mite due to their similar small size and their association with honey bees. However, while varroa mites are parasitic and significantly harmful to bee colonies by feeding on the bees' bodily fluids and transmitting diseases, the bee louse is a commensal organism that does not pose the same level of threat to bee health. The bee louse clings to the body of the honey bee and can be found on their thorax, but it does not feed parasitically in the same way that varroa mites do.

This confusion arises particularly for beekeepers who may initially misidentify the bee louse as a varroa mite during inspections due to their similar appearance. Identifying the differences between these two pests is crucial for effective pest management in beekeeping, as treatments for varroa mites are necessary to prevent significant colony loss, while the impact of the bee louse is generally much less severe.

Other options listed, such as Acarapis woodi (the tracheal mite) and Varroa jacobsoni, are unrelated in terms of this specific confusion. Varroa jacobsoni is