An Inside Look at How the Varroa Mite’s True Diet Was Discovered
Some researchers willing to question conventional wisdom, some crafty experimentation, and some high-tech microscopic imagery all add up to a discovery about the Varroa destructor mite that upends years of understanding about how it parasitizes honey bees.
How the Varroa Mite Co-Opts Honey Bee Behaviors to Its Own Advantage
As the managed honey bee industry continues to grapple with significant annual colony losses, the Varroa destructor mite is emerging as the leading culprit. And, it turns out, the very […]
Why Do Varroa Mite Populations Sometimes Increase in the Fall?
The Varroa mite is public enemy number one to honey bees in the United States. Like little vampires, they suck the bees’ “blood” (hemolymph) and transmit viruses that can harm […]
Varroa Mites and Associated Honey Bee Diseases More Severe than Previously Thought
Researchers from the University of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently completed the first comprehensive, multi-year study of honey bee parasites and disease as part of the National […]
New York Honey Bees Evolved Resistance to Disease After Exposure to Varroa Mites
An international research team has some good news for the struggling honey bee and the millions of people who depend on them to pollinate crops and other plants. These valuable […]
Varroa Mites Use Chemical Camouflage to Mimic Honey Bee Scent
Varroa mites, one of the most serious threats to honey bees worldwide, are infiltrating hives by smelling like bees, according to a new study appearing in Biology Letters. The parasites […]
How do Varroa Mites Know when to Leave Honey Bee Hives? It’s all in the Bees’ Wax
Although they are really tiny, the Varroa mite has the potential to bring large parts of western agriculture to its knees by infesting and destroying honey bee hives. Varroa mites […]
East African Honey Bees are Resilient to Varroa Mites and Nosema
Several parasites and pathogens that devastate honeybees in Europe, Asia, and the United States are spreading across East Africa, but do not appear to be impacting native honey bee populations […]
U.S. Beekeepers Lost 23% of Colonies Last Winter; Scientists Recommend Treating Bees for Varroa Mites
According to a national survey of honey bee colony losses conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership, the Apiary Inspectors of America, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. beekeepers lost […]