''Varroa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

s associated with

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

s, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for

Marcus Terentius Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with ''Varroa'' mites is called varroosis (also, incorrectly, varroatosis). ''Varroa'' mites, specifically the species ''

Varroa destructor ''Varroa destructor'', the ''Varroa'' mite is an ectoparasite, external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on the honey bees ''Apis cerana'' and ''Apis mellifera''. The disease caused by the mites is called varroosis. The ''Varroa'' mite can ...

'', are recognised as the biggest pest to honeybees worldwide due to their ability to transmit diseases such as

deformed wing virus ''Deformed wing virus'' (DWV) is an RNA virus, one of 22 known viruses affecting honey bees. While most commonly infecting the honey bee, '' Apis mellifera'', it has also been documented in other bee species, like ''Bombus terrestris'', thus, i ...

(or DWV) to larval or pupating bees, resulting in death or severe deformity of the pupae.

History and behavior

''Varroa'' mites feed off the fat body tissue of adult,

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

l, and

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

l honey bees, and may carry

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...

es that are particularly damaging to the bees (e.g., deformed wings, and IAPV), and accordingly they have been implicated in

colony collapse disorder Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear, leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. While s ...

. Research has indicated that alone, neither ''Varroa'' mites nor deformed wing virus are particularly deadly, yet together they can pose an incredible risk to colonies. ''Varroa'' mites were first discovered in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

about 1904, but are now present in all honey bee populations except the Isle of Man and Isle of Colonsay. Because of the lack of varroa in

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, on February 16th 2015, the EU made a decision that allowed the

to block the importation of all bee-related supplies. They were discovered in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1987, in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 2000, and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1992.

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

was free of the mites until a routine inspection at the

Port of Newcastle The Port of Newcastle is a major seaport in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the world's largest coal port. It is made up of facilities located at Port Hunter - Yohaaba in the Hunter River estuary. The port was the f ...

on 22 June, 2022 detected an infestation. Eradication is unlikely because no other introduction elsewhere in the world has been eradicated. Bee-breeding efforts to develop resistance against ''Varroa'' are ongoing. The

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

has developed a line of bees which uses ''Varroa''-sensitive hygiene to remove reproductive mites. This line is now being distributed to beekeepers to be used as part of their

integrated pest management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the econ ...

programs.

Species

The genus ''Varroa'' contains these species: * ''

'' Anderson & Trueman, 2000 is a virulent parasite that infests its natural host, ''

Apis cerana ''Apis cerana'', the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of ''Apis koschevnikovi'' and both are in the same subgenus as ...

'' (Asian honey bees), on mainland Asia and also ''Apis mellifera'' (

western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", ...

) worldwide. * ''

Varroa jacobsoni ''Varroa jacobsoni'' is a species of mite that parasitises ''Apis cerana'' (Asian honey bees). The more damaging ''Varroa destructor'' was previously included under the name ''V. jacobsoni'', but the two species can be separated on the bas ...

'' Oudemans, 1904 is a relatively benign parasite of ''Apis cerana''. * ''

Varroa rindereri ''Varroa'' is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infe ...

'' de Guzman & Delfinado-Baker, 1996 * ''

Varroa sinhai ''Varroa'' is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infe ...

'' (Delfinado & Baker, 1974) * ''

Varroa wongsirii ''Varroa'' is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae. The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infe ...

'' (Lekprayoon & Tangkanasing, 1991)

Resistance

Some honey bees strains have been bred to be resistant to ''Varroa'', through Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) behavior, enabling them to detect reproducing varroa mites and diseased pupae within capped cells, which are then uncapped and the pupae removed.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1766457 Mesostigmata Beekeeping Parasites of bees Taxa named by Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans