For decades, beekeepers have fought a tiny parasite called Varroa destructor, which has devastated honey-bee colonies around the world. But an even deadlier mite, Tropilaelaps mercedesae—or "tropi"—is ...

Expand your understanding of food systems as a Civil Eats member. Enjoy unlimited access to our groundbreaking reporting, engage with experts, and connect with a community of changemakers. In April, ...

A fast-spreading parasite is expected to devastate local bee colonies over the next two years, affecting commercial and ...

Alexander Mikheyev receives funding from the Australian Research Council. A tiny foe threatens Australian beekeepers’ livelihood, our food supply and the national economy. First detected in New South ...

The varroa mite may be tiny — only a millimetre or two long — but it poses a huge threat to honey bees, beekeepers and honey ...

Every year, up to half the honeybee colonies in the U.S. die. Varroa mites, the bees’ ghastly parasites, are one of the main culprits. After hitching a ride into a hive, a mite mom hides in a ...

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 ...

Patrick O'Connor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Agrifutures Australia and State Governments. A tiny parasitic mite that lives on the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) has ...

Seemingly indestructible Varroa mites have decimated honeybee populations and are a primary cause of colony collapse disorder, or CCD. Scientists have found genetic holes in the pests' armor that ...

Among the many threats to honey bee colonies around the world, one stands alone: the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. For decades, researchers assumed that varroa mites feed on blood, like many of ...

FEW PESTS are more feared by apiarists than the aptly named Varroa destructor. This mite, originally a parasite of Apis cerana, the Asian honey bee, has plagued Apis mellifera, cerana’s western cousin ...