Migratory Mites Threaten Bee Hives
December 5, 2016
From: USDA Ag Research Magazine
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The Varroa mite, Varroa destructor, is considered public enemy number one to honey bees nationwide. The parasite feeds on the blood of adult bees and their brood, weakening them and endangering the entire hive when infestations become severe. But the mite also poses an indirect threat to more than 90 flowering crops that depend on bee pollination, including almonds, apples, blueberries, cherries, and cantaloupes.
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The researchers’ investigations in North Dakota this summer will follow up on their leading theory to explain this phenomenon, dubbed “mite migration.” It holds that Varroa mites move among colonies by attaching to forager bees.
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