Toiling to save the bees
June 8, 2017
From: Ithaca.com
By Christie Citranglo
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Parasites, in addition to habitat loss, are another danger to bees, specifically the varroa mites. After the mites found their way to the U.S. in the ’80s, Borst said, they’ve continued to evolve and develop a resistance to pesticides. Their breeding cycle is fast and scientists cannot keep up with their developments quickly enough to create a new solution — similar to bacteria in medicinal research.
“I’ve seen very diligent, professional beekeepers control the mites and still lost more bees than they’ve ever lost,” Borst said. “We have never really gotten a handle on how to control varroa mites.”
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