"Varroa Mites: Beekeeper Enemy Number 1."

Honey bees are dying. High rates of losses have been reported in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa – virtually everywhere bees are kept. There are many theories about what the underlying cause or causes of these losses are; poor nutrition, pesticides, diseases, and parasites are a few of the most commonly mentioned. While all probably play some role, either on their own or in combination, there is growing consensus that one - the parasitic varroa mite, plays a large, if not the largest, role in the high rates of colony mortality experienced in many places around the world.