Freeloaders.....(or: "calling all micro-beast experts!")

[Dolo]

Yesterday, while exploring a broken brood frame I had taken out to change using a low power binocular microscope, I discovered my bees have some tenants living deep within formerly used cells. Given the size of a bee cell (see picture) at their biggest these little beasties are less than 0.5mm long, ranging down to less than 0.1mm. They are sociable, wandering around in apparent families of different sizes. They reminded me of transluscent, colourless, wingless greenfly but on a much smaller scale. They seem to have six legs (insect?). The larger ones have long hairlike spines on their bodies.
They are well beyond my natural history abilities, so are there any geniuses out there who can pin down what they are?

 

[Swarm]

Pollen mites?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Agree pollen mites and they have eight legs. They do a good job on my wet stored supers eating up all the pollen.

 

[Dolo]

Thanks for this. Studying internet images and considering the cells they were on, it looks as though you are both on the money, but the internet seems to vary as to whether they are harmless or not. What would you recommend? Is there a treatment?

 

[Erichalfbee]

No treatment needed. They are scavengers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No treatment needed. They are scavengers.

they help keep the hive clean

 

[masterBK]

If these mites are pink then they are Carpoglyphus lactis. This pollen mite was first found on the surface of prunes and is known as the prune or dried fruit mite but commonly is also found in beehives. For further information go to

Carpoglyphus | Bee Mite ID (idtools.org)

 

[Dolo]

Thank you all for your help on these little recyclers. I shall leave them in peace to get on with their lives.