Review of Bee Health

Within 10 years of the introduction of the invasive Varroa mite, almost all of the wild honeybee population worldwide was wiped out, Ramsey said. Some regions of the United States lost more than 80 percent of managed honeybee colonies due to an infestation in the mid-1990s.

In his thesis, Ramsey challenges the traditional understanding of how the Varroa mite feeds on its prey. For nearly 50 years, entomologists have said it feeds on the blood of the honeybee. But Ramsey found evidence suggesting the parasite feeds on the bee’s fat body tissue instead.