Varroa destructor

Varroa destructor

Varroa destructor, Photo by Scott Bauer

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Acari
Family:	Parasitidae
Genus:	Varroa
Species:	V. destructor
Species:	often mislabeled as V. jacobsoni

Binomial name

Varroa destructor

Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees Apis cerana, Apis mellifera, Bombus pennsylvanicus, Palpada vinetorum and Phanaeus vindex. It can only replicate in a honeybee hive. It attaches at the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking haemolymph. In this process the mite may also spread RNA viral agents and bacteria to the bee. A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honeybee colony, usually in the winter. The varroa mite has been the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry.

1 Origin
2 Anatomy
3 Life Cycle
4 Reproduction
5 Worldwide Range Expansion
6 Control methods in beehive
7 See also

Origin

Varroa destructor was until recently thought to be a closely related mite species called Varroa jacobsoni. Both species parasitize the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana. The mite species originally described as V. jacobsoni by Oudemans in 1904 is part of the same species complex, but not the same species that made the jump to Apis mellifera. That jump probably first took place in the Philippines in the early 1960’s. Only after Apis mellifera were imported to the Philippines, it came into close contact with Apis cerana. Varroa as a parasite of Apis cerana, also became a parasite of Apis mellifera. Up until 2000, scientists did not positively identify Varroa destructor as a separate species. In 2005, we know that the only varroa mites that can reproduce in colonies of Apis mellifera (Western honeybee) are the Korea and Japan/Thailand genotypes of Varroa destructor. Varroa jacobsoni is a fairly benign parasite of Apis cerana. This late identification led to some confusion and mislabeling in the scientific literature.

Varroa destructor on bee larva

Anatomy

reddish-brown in color 1.00–1.77 mm long and 1.50–1.99 mm wide flat button shape
eight legs

Life Cycle

The female mite enters a honeybee brood cell. As soon as the cell is capped, the mite lays eggs. The young mites hatch in about the same time as the young bee develops and leave the cell with the host.

The model for the population dynamics is that there is exponential growth when bee brood is available and exponential decline when no brood is available.

Reproduction

Mites reproduce on a 10-day cycle. In 12 weeks the number of mites in a Western honeybee hive can roughly multiply by 12. Russian honey bees are one third to one half less susceptible to mite reproduction.

Source: Russian Queens Bee-little Mites' Impact by J. Raloff, Science News, Aug. 8, 1998