Varroa

The Varroa mite was introduced to Europe from Asia in the 1970s, where it rapidly spread among honey bees. Today, the mite, which measures only 1.6 mm in size when adult, is the main enemy of our western honey bees, which—unlike their original hosts, the eastern honey bees—cannot defend themselves against these parasites.

The Varroa mite, which cannot fly, typically uses drones (male bees) as a means of transport for its spread from colony to colony. Once in the nest, the mite nests in the bees' brood cells and weakens the brood by sucking the hemolymph (the insects' blood substitute).

But that's not all; the Varroa mite also transmits viruses and bacteria that can cause diseases among the bee larvae. If a bee colony is severely infested, it can lead to the death of the entire colony.

Researchers have been trying to breed Varroa-resistant bees for many years. However, success has so far been unsatisfactory. Therefore, the attention and commitment of beekeepers is needed, who, in an emergency, can fight the mites with purely natural means.