Braula coeca fly on a honey beePhoto courtesy M Zhang What do you call a fly with no wings? A walk. Braula coeca is just that, a fly without wings, and it is often incorrectly referred to as a louse. Braula can be mistaken for Varroa or other parasitic mites, as they are a similar colour and length, however Braula is only half the width of Varroa and has 6 legs rather than 8. Adult Braula settle on the junction of the thorax and abdomen on adult bees. They have a particular affinity for queens; some queens have been seen to have up to 20 adult Braula flies living on them, with no apparent ill effect. To feed, [...]