Acarology research at the Sytematic Entomology Laboratory focuses on taxonomic studies of agriculturally important mite groups. This work is carried out in support of USDA-ARS National Program 304: Crop Protection & Quarantine. Recent projects involving collaborations with the ARS Electron Microscopy Unit, Bee Research Laboratory, and Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory have examined the morphology and behavior of important honey bee parasites and species of Eriophyidae that have been identified as vectors of weed pathogens. Additional projects are being conducted that deal with the systematics of the Eriophyoidea, Tenuipalpidae, and Tetranychidae