The parasitic bee mite Varroa destructor, which can mimic the chemical composition of its host's cuticle, is also capable of adapting this composition according to the bee species that it infests.

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 nature of ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A sister species of the Varroa destructor mite is developing the ability to parasitize European honeybees, threatening pollinators already hard pressed by pesticides, ...

Tests with fake bee larvae reveal that a “vampire” mite attacking honeybees may not be so much a bloodsucker as a fat slurper. The ominously named Varroa destructor mite invaded North America in the ...

The drastic decline in global honeybee populations is no secret. The phenomenon has been named “colony collapse syndrome,” and though it’s not clear what factors led up to it, entomologist Samuel ...

A reddish-black mite the size of a tiny crumb latches onto a honeybee, feeding on its fat body and transmitting diseases as the bee struggles to survive. The Varroa destructor, an aggressive mite, ...

Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of California, Davis, are helping beekeepers protect their colonies from destructive varroa mites. In a new study, ...

Dr. Sammy Ramsey examining a frame from one of his lab’s hives, looking for cells that might have baby bees developing inside. Credit: Santiago Flórez, Science ...

The bees are dying at an alarming rate. Along with pesticides, parasites, and poor nutrition, scientists blame the colony collapse phenomenon on disease. However, one of the most dangerous diseases ...

Saul Cunningham receives funding from Horticulture Australia Limited, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Commonwealth Government's Caring for Our Country program. He provides ...