Received 6 January 2008, accepted subject to revision 14 May 2008, accepted for publication 17 August 2008. While the Varroa destructor mite is not highly mobile on its own, it takes advantage of the behaviors of honey bees in managed beekeeping settings to spread. Varroa destructor causes considerable damage to honey bees and subsequently the field of apiculture through just one process: feeding. 2012). The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has shaken the beekeeping and pollination industries since its spread from its native host, the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), to the naïve European honey bee (Apis mellifera) used commercially for pollination and honey production around the globe. The Varroa mite was described in 1904 by Oudemans as The varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is the most serious pest of honey bee colonies worldwide. local honey bee colonies can survive the mite, which may be the basis for integrated Varroa management. Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are now the most serious pest of western honey bee colonies and one of the primary causes of honey bee decline (Dietemann et al. Better understanding of the association of this parasite and its host is critical to developing sus-tainable management practices. Ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, today is one of the main reasons for colony losses worldwide. Originally, this mite only occurred in colonies of the Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana Fabr., in Asia. the world and control measures are required to maintain healthy honey bee colonies. In particular, colony losses have been linked to deformed wing virus (DWV) and the Varroa destructor mite. The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has shaken the beekeeping and pollination industries since its spread from its native host, the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), to the naïve European honey bee (Apis mellifera) used commercially for pollination and honey production around the globe. Varroa is the greatest threat to honey bee health. Virtually all feral (or “wild”) honey bee colonies have been wiped out from these mites, and beekeepers continue to struggle with varroa infestations in their hives. Varroa mites are parasitic mites, which require a honey bee host to survive and reproduce.
(Anderson & Trueman, 2000). Although Varroa destructor is a natural parasite of the Asian honey bee, most of its biology has been determined using the Western honey bee due to the mite's importance as an economic pest on this honey bee species. INTRODUCTION Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman is a major pest of the Western honey bee Apismellifera L.worldwide.Undertypicalen- The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has shaken the beekeeping and pollination industries since its spread from its native host, the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), to the naïve European honey bee (Apis mellifera) used commercially for pollination and honey production around the globe. local honey bee colonies can survive the mite, which may be the basis for integrated Varroa management. They place themselves on the larvae or brood and even on the adult bees.
Many factors, including pathogens, contribute to the continuing losses of colonies of the honey bee Apis mellifera, which has led to steady population decline. Honey bee societies (Apis mellifera), the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, and honey bee viruses that are vectored by the mite, form a complex system of host–parasite interactions.Coevolution by natural selection in this system has been hindered for European honey bee hosts since apicultural practices remove the mite and consequently the selective pressures required for such a process. The varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is the most serious pest of honey bee colonies worldwide.
For five decades, we have believed that these mites consume hemolymph like a tick consumes blood, and that Varroa cause harm primarily by vectoring viruses. Our work shows that they cause damage more directly.