Varroa Mites Biggest Threat to Iowa Bees
June 5, 2015
From: Iowa Public Radio
By Lindsey Moon & Ben Kieffer
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Late last month, the White House released a strategy to try to protect pollinators, aiming to grow bee populations across the country in the next 10 years. As a part of that plan, there’s been talk of limiting pesticide use and developing products to help beekeepers combat the varroa mite.
According to Iowa’s state apiarist Andrew Joseph, the varroa mite is the biggest threat to Iowa’s bee populations. “This is a parasitic mite that gets into our hives. If you keep bees, you’ve got varroa mites as well. It’s a management issue. Bees are not capable to handle them on their own, and unfortunately the majority of beekeepers are not managing varroa mites. They are doing physical damages and are spreading a variety of other maladies through our hives.”
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