Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
to obtain expert advice. You may have made a misdiagnosis and, in Europe in any case,
treatment is generally unnecessary.
Varroa destructor
In many texts this may be called
Varroa jacobsonii
, but it has become evident that,
hiding under this name, are two are different beasts. The name now given to the specific
mite that affects us all is, very aptly,
V. d e s t r u c t o r
(see Photograph 11 in the colour
photograph section of this topic). It is
V. d e s t r u c t o r
that has caused so much trouble for
many of the world's beekeepers since it jumped from its natural host, the far-eastern
honey-bee,
Apis
cerana
, to the western honey-bee
Apis mellifera
- a bee that didn't know
what to do about it.
The topic of varroa and its effects on honey-bees is vast and one that we are only just
beginning to understand. For example, its relationship with other 'syndromes', such as
parasitic mite syndrome and colony collapse disorder, is the subject of furious research.
Because this mite has had such an impact on the economy of beekeeping, therefore, I
think it is important that we have a look at it in some detail.
When the mite first arrives in a country, by and large it takes all beekeepers by surprise.
Most were hoping that it simply wouldn't appear but, when it does, many beekeepers
suddenly become wax-moth keepers. I did in Spain. I had moved from the UK where
there was no varroa at the time to a country where there was, and I should have known
better. I was then new to the game and I hope that, if such a thing happens again, I will
be better prepared. You must be.
Life-cycle
The mites reproduce on a 10-day cycle. The female enters a honey-bee brood cell and,
as soon as the cell is capped, she lays eggs on the bee larva. These eggs hatch into several
females and usually one male (see Photograph 12 in the colour photograph section of
this topic). The young mites hatch in about the same time as it takes the young bees
to develop. When the young bee emerges from the cell after pupation, the varroa mites
also leave and disperse to other bees and larvae. The varroa mite prefers drone cells to
inhabit and breed in because the cycle and timing of drone development suit it better,
but it will also infest worker cells.
