First report on the presence of Megaselia rufipes (Meigen, 1804) and Megaselia praeacuta (Schmitz, 1919) in honey bee colonies in the Republic of Macedonia

The presence of the two species Megaselia rufipes (Meigen, 1804) and Megaselia praeacuta (Schmitz, 1919) (Diptera: Phoridae) was recorded from samples of dead honey bee colonies under laboratory conditions during 2017. The material was taken from an apiary in Bitola Region where the winter losses of honey bee colonies in 2016/2017 season were estimated at 97%. This was the first record of M. rufipes in the fauna of the Republic of Macedonia. Another species that has previously been recorded as a leaf miner and pest on chickpeas is M. praeacuta, but this was the first time when the species was recorded on honey bee colonies. Both species emerged from dead honey bees.