Feeding stages live in bee nests. They are mostly
kleptoparasitic, but they may kill developing bee larvae via direct attack. Phoretic deutonymphs (non-feeding stage) disperse from one nest to another on adult bees. They cause no direct harm, but large mite loads may affect the bee's flying abilities and survival. In managed and aggregated bee colonies, they may infect new nests by active dispersal (walking). Non-phoretic deutonymphs (non-feeding stage) can survive in the nest cavity to infest new bee generations, if the same nest is reused. File:Chaetodactylus micheneri immob.jpg|
Chaetodactylus micheneri non-phoretic (immobile) deutonymph. File:Ontogeny Chaetodactylus krombeini.jpg|Life stages of
Chaetodactylus krombeini (Astigmata); non-phoretic deutonymph and male not shown. The presence of the inert non-phoretic deutonymph along with the phoretic deutonymph is the most conspicuous feature in the life-cycle of this genus. The inert deutonymph is a highly regressive, cyst-like morph with legs and most setae greatly reduced. It is capable of surviving in old bee nests and infesting new hosts that reuse these nests or the nest material. When mites are trapped in the innermost cells of an infested nest or all bee larvae are killed and therefore cannot transfer mites to a new nest as adults, inert deutonymphs can be very important for mite survival. == Systematics ==