Latest Varroa Stories

It's about bee-ing all they can be. An enhanced-line honey bee stock developed by University of California, Davis bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey, that crosses her bee line "New World Carnolians" with "Old World" Carnolians from Germany, shows genetic promise in aiding the troubled bee industry, research reveals. "I'm really pleased with the stock," said Cobey, project leader of a honey bee stock improvement grant, funded by the California State Beekeepers' Association and the...

One of the biggest world wide threats to honey bees, the varroa mite, could soon be about to meet its nemesis. Researchers at the University of Warwick are examining naturally occurring fungi that kill the varroa mite. They are also exploring a range of ways to deliver the killer fungus throughout the hives from bee fungal foot baths to powder sprays.It well known that bees world wide are suffering serious declines and one of the causes of that decline is the varroa mite, Varroa destructor....

Scientists are one step closer to understanding the recent demise of billions of honey bees after making an important discovery about the transmission of a common bee virus. Deformed wing virus (DWV) is passed between adult bees and to their developing brood by a parasitic mite called Varroa destructor when it feeds. However, research published in the July issue of the Journal of General Virology suggests that the virus does not replicate in Varroa, highlighting the need for further...

A parliamentary report released on Tuesday said that Australia's honeybees, crucial to worldwide food production, need more protection from foreign invaders that could potentially wipe out their population.Australia is the only country not to suffer from a deadly bee mite known as the varroa destructor. The country is a major supplier of queen and hive bees to North America, Japan and the Middle East.But scientists are concerned that the varroa mite could breach Australian borders, as they...

HONOLULU - A tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee populations showed up in Honolulu hives for the first time this month and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu.The infestation by varroa mites has led the state to ask beekeepers to restrict transport of bees around the islands. There are concerns it could threaten the Big Island's thriving queen bee export industry, which has so far tested free of the mites."This is going to be for us a nightmare," said...