Varroa

{{Short description|Genus of mites}} {{Italic title}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = ''Varroa'' | image = Varroa destructor, 1 2019-09-06-19.12.07 ZS PMax UDR (48697155713).jpg | image_caption = | image2 = Varroa destructor2 2019-09-06-19.10.23 ZS PMax UDR (48697673082).jpg | image2_caption = ''Varroa destructor'' in dorsal (top) and ventral (lower) views | display_parents = 2 | parent_authority = Delfinado & Baker, 1974<ref name=DelfinadoBaker1974 /> | taxon = Varroa | authority = Oudemans, 1904<ref name=Oudemans1904a /><ref name=Oudemans1904b /> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''Varroa destructor'' ''Varroa jacobsoni'' ''Varroa rindereri'' ''Varroa underwoodi'' }}

'''''Varroa''''' is a genus of parasitic mesostigmatan mites associated with honey bees, originally placed into its own family, '''Varroidae''', but later revised as a subfamily.<ref name=DelfinadoBaker1974/><ref name=Oh2024/> The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with ''Varroa'' mites is called '''varroosis''' (also, incorrectly, ''varroatosis'').

''Varroa'' mites, but especially the species ''Varroa destructor'', are recognised as the biggest pest to honeybees worldwide due to their ability to transmit diseases such as deformed wing virus (or DWV) to larval or pupating bees, resulting in death or severe deformity of the pupae.

==Species== The genus ''Varroa'' contains four species:<ref name="CoL"/> * ''Varroa destructor'' Anderson & Trueman, 2000<ref name=AndersonTrueman2000 /> – a virulent parasite that infests its natural host, ''Apis cerana'' (Asian honey bees), in mainland Asia and ''Apis mellifera'' (western honey bee) worldwide. * ''Varroa jacobsoni'' Oudemans, 1904<ref name=Oudemans1904a /><ref name=Oudemans1904b /> – a relatively benign parasite of ''Apis cerana''. * ''Varroa rindereri'' de Guzman & Delfinado-Baker, 1996<ref name=deGuzmanEtal1996/><ref name="Rinderer1999">{{cite journal |last1=de Guzman |first1=Lilia I. |last2=Rinderer |first2=Thomas E. |title=Identification and comparison of ''Varroa'' species infesting honey bees |journal=Apidologie |date=1999 |volume=30 |issue=2–3 |pages=85–95 |doi=10.1051/apido:19990201|doi-access=free }}</ref> * ''Varroa underwoodi'' Delfinado-Baker and Aggarwal, 1987<ref name=Delfinado1987/><ref name=deGuzmanEtal1996/><ref name="Rinderer1999"/>

==History and behavior== ''Varroa'' mites feed off the fat body tissue of adult, pupal, and larval honey bees,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ramsey|first1=Samuel D.|last2=Ochoa|first2=Ronald|last3=Bauchan|first3=Gary|last4=Gulbronson|first4=Connor|last5=Mowery|first5=Joseph D.|last6=Cohen|first6=Allen|last7=Lim|first7=David|last8=Joklik|first8=Judith|last9=Cicero|first9=Joseph M.|date=2019-01-29|title=Varroa destructor feeds primarily on honey bee fat body tissue and not hemolymph|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=116|issue=5|pages=1792–1801|doi=10.1073/pnas.1818371116|issn=0027-8424|pmc=6358713|pmid=30647116|doi-access=free|bibcode=2019PNAS..116.1792R }}</ref> and may carry viruses that are particularly damaging to the bees (e.g., deformed wings, and IAPV), and accordingly they have been implicated in colony collapse disorder. Research has indicated that alone, neither ''Varroa'' mites nor deformed wing virus is particularly deadly, yet together they can pose a great risk to colonies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/20815-honeybee-collapse-mite-virus.html|title=Mites, Viruses Sicken Bee Hives - Colony Collapse Disorder - Hawaiian Honeybee Infection|work=LiveScience.com|date=7 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/271-bees-wiped-cascade-deadly-events.html|title=Bees Wiped Out by Cascade of Deadly Events|work=LiveScience.com|date=17 May 2005}}</ref>

''Varroa'' mites were first discovered in Java in about 1904,<ref name=AndersonTrueman2000>{{cite journal |author=D. L. Anderson & J. W. H. Trueman |year=2000 |title=''Varroa jacobsoni'' (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species |journal=Experimental and Applied Acarology |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=165–189 |doi=10.1023/A:1006456720416 |pmid=11108385|s2cid=12271915 }}</ref> but are now present in all honey bee populations worldwide, with a few minor exceptions. They were discovered in the United States in 1987, in New Zealand in 2000,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Zhi-Qian Zhang |year=2000 |title=Notes on ''Varroa destructor'' (Acari: Varroidae) parasitic on honeybees in New Zealand |journal=Systematic & Applied Acarology |series=Special Publications |volume=5 |pages=9–14 |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted-sites/acarology/saas/saasp/pdf10/saasp05b.pdf }}</ref> and in the United Kingdom in 1992.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} They are said to be absent in few isolated regions of the United Kingdom such as Isle of Man and Isle of Colonsay. Because of the lack of ''Varroa'' in Isle of Man, the EU made a decision (in Feb. 2015) which allowed the Isle of Man to block the importation of all bee-related supplies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Isle of Man Government - Bees|url=https://www.gov.im/categories/business-and-industries/agriculture/bees/|access-date=2022-02-17|website=www.gov.im}}</ref>

Australia was said to be free of ''Varroa'' until a routine inspection at the Port of Newcastle on 22 June 2022 detected an infestation.<ref name="Newcastle-arrival-Varroa">{{cite web | date=2022-07-04 | access-date=2022-07-07 | website=Newcastle Weekly | url=http://newcastleweekly.com.au/new-varroa-mite-detection-linked-to-newcastle/ | title=New Varroa mite detection linked to Newcastle}}</ref> Eradication is unlikely because no other introduction elsewhere in the world has been eradicated.<ref name="Newcastle-future-Varroa">{{cite web | date=2022-07-04 | access-date=2022-07-07 | website=Australian National University | url=http://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/here%E2%80%99s-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-varroa-mite | title=Here's what you need to know about the Varroa mite}}</ref> On 9 November 2023, ABC News reported that researchers have predicted the extinction of feral bees in Australia within three years because of the spreading ''Varroa'' mite infestation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-11-08 |title=Researcher says feral bees face extinction as deadly mite spreads in swarms |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-09/deadly-parasite-varroa-mite-behind-predicted-feral-bee-die-off/102905408 |access-date=2023-11-09}}</ref>

==Varroosis== The infestation and subsequent parasitic disease caused by mites in the genus ''Varroa'' is called varroosis.<ref>{{cite book |title=OIE Terrestrial Health Manual |publisher=World Organisation for Animal Health |url=https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/fr/Health_standards/tahm/3.02.07_VARROOSIS.pdf |year=2021| chapter=Varroosis of honey bees (infestation of honey bees with Varroa spp.)}}</ref> Sometimes, the incorrect names varroatosis or varroasis are used. A parasitic disease name must be formed from the taxonomic name of the parasite and the suffix -osis<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kassai |first1=Tibor |title=Nomenclature for parasitic diseases: cohabitation with inconsistency for how long and why? |journal=Veterinary Parasitology |date=June 2006 |volume=138 |issue=3–4 |pages=169–178 |doi=10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.02.019 |pmid=16569483 }}</ref> as provided in the Standardised Nomenclature by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.waavp.org/node/43 |title=Standardised Nomenclature of Animal Parasitic Diseases |access-date=2014-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304192757/http://www.waavp.org/node/43 |archive-date=2014-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> For example, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) uses the name varroosis in the OIE Terrestrial Manual.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/2.02.07_VARROOSIS.pdf |title=Varroosis in honey bees |access-date=2014-03-04 |archive-date=2014-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813014356/http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/2.02.07_VARROOSIS.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Treatments== The chemical treatment of ''Varroa'' mites in common beehives typically uses an alcohol wash which causes significant consequential damage to the honey bee population or the use of organic acids such as oxalic acid which is harmful to the mite but not the honey bee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cambray |first=Dr Garth A. |date=2021-12-14 |title=When and How to Treat Bees for Mites: Guide for Beekeepers |url=https://beekeepertips.com/when-should-i-treat-my-bees-for-mites/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |language=en-US}}</ref> Best results are obtained during periods of low or no brooding given the difficulty of applying medication to the brood and is often dispersed through a small vaporiser to distribute the acid within the hive. Commercial treatments such as Apistan and Apivar are commonly used as well.

==Resistance== Some honey bees strains have been bred to be resistant to ''Varroa'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aristabeeresearch.org/|title=Arista Bee Research - Foundation for breeding varroa resistant honey bees|work=aristabeeresearch.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/1999/aug/bees|title=USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 47, No. 8|work=usda.gov}}</ref> 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.

Bee-breeding efforts to develop resistance against ''Varroa'' are ongoing. The USDA has developed a line of bees that 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 programs.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=Oudemans1904a>{{cite journal|last1=Oudemans|first1=A. C.|title=On a new genus and species of parasitic Acari|journal=Notes from the Leyden Museum|date=1904|volume=24|issue=4|pages=216–222|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9644749}}</ref> <ref name=Oudemans1904b>{{cite journal|last1=Oudemans|first1=A. C.|title=Acarologische Aanteekeningen XII|journal=Entomologische Berichten|date=1904|volume=1|issue=18|pages=160–164|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8982540}}</ref>

<ref name=DelfinadoBaker1974>{{cite journal|last1=Delfinado|first1=M. D.|last2=Baker|first2=E. W.|title=Varroidae, A new family of mites on honey bees (Mesostigmata: Acarina)|journal=Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences|date=1974|volume=64|issue=1|pages=4–10|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39873197|jstor=24535743}}</ref>

<ref name=Oh2024> Oh J., Lee S., Kwon W., Joharchi O., Kim S., Lee S. 2024. Molecular phylogeny reveals Varroa mites are not a separate family but a subfamily of Laelapidae. ''Scientific Reports.'' '''14(1):''' 13994.</ref>

<ref name=deGuzmanEtal1996>{{cite journal|last1=de Guzman|first1=L. I.|last2=Delfinado-Baker|first2=M.|title=A new species of ''Varroa'' (Acari: Varroidae) associated with ''Apis koschevnikovi'' (Apidae: Hymenoptera) in Borneo|journal=International Journal of Acarology|date=1996|volume=22|issue=1|pages=23–27|doi=10.1080/01647959608684077|bibcode=1996IJAca..22...23D }}</ref>

<ref name="CoL">{{cite web|title=''Varroa''|url=https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/7Q66S|website=Catalogue of Life|access-date=17 December 2025|language=en}}</ref>

<ref name=Delfinado1987>Delfinado, M.D. & Aggarwal, K. 1987. A new Varroa (Acari: Varroidae) from the nests of Apis cerana (Apidae). ''International Journal of Acarology.'' '''13:''' 233–237.</ref>

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==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Varroa|''Varroa''}}

Category:Mesostigmata Category:Mite genera Category:Beekeeping Category:Parasites of bees Category:Taxa named by Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans