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{{Taxobox

{{Taxobox

|name              = ''Varroa destructor''

|name              = ''Varroa destructor''

Causes: '''''Varroatosis — Varoosis — Colony Collapse Syndrome'''''

Causes: '''''Varroatosis — Varoosis — Colony Collapse Syndrome'''''

[[Image:Varroa Mite .jpg|right|150px|thumb|Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA (Wikimedia Commons)]]

[[Image:Varroa Mite .jpg|right|200px|thumb|Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA (Wikimedia Commons)]]

[[Image:Varroa Mite on honeybee pupa.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA (Wikimedia Commons)]]

[[Image:Varroa Mite on honeybee pupa.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA (Wikimedia Commons)]]

[[File:Family of varroa mites.jpg|thumb|A group of male and immature mites left in a cell after the bee has emerged with the fertilised females<br><small>Copyright USDA 2003 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

[[File:Family of varroa mites.jpg|thumb|200px|A group of male and immature mites left in a cell after the bee has emerged with the fertilised females<br><small>Copyright USDA 2003 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

[[File:Adult female varroa mite.jpg|thumb|A mature female mite feeds on a developing worker brood<br><small>Copyright USDA 2003 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

[[File:Adult female varroa mite.jpg|thumb|200px|A mature female mite feeds on a developing worker brood<br><small>Copyright USDA 2003 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

===Epidemiology===

===Epidemiology===

Mites are transferred between colonies by worker bees in areas of high hive density by robbing (where worker bees steal honey from other hives), drifting (where worker bees become attached to another colony) or swarming (where unfertilised queens mix with drones from several colonies to become mated).  Since its first reported infestation in the UK in 1992<ref>Rendall GF. '''Varroa jacobsoni found in the UK.''' ''Vet Rec. 1992 Apr 18;130(16):359.''</ref>, ''V. destructor'' has now spread across the whole country except for the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man and some Scottish islands.  Mites can also be spread iatrogenically as they survive on fomites for up to 72 hours and this is thought to be the major route of transmission.

Mites are transferred between colonies by worker bees in areas of high hive density by robbing (where worker bees steal honey from other hives), drifting (where worker bees become attached to another colony) or swarming (where unfertilised queens mix with drones from several colonies to become mated).  Since its first reported infestation in the UK in 1992<ref>Rendall GF. '''Varroa jacobsoni found in the UK.''' ''Vet Rec. 1992 Apr 18;130(16):359.''</ref>, ''V. destructor'' has now spread across the whole country except for the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man and some Scottish islands.  Mites can also be spread iatrogenically as they survive on fomites for up to 72 hours and this is thought to be the major route of transmission.

==Diagnosis==

==Diagnosis==

| As above.

| As above.

| The honey bee mite has an oval body with all 8 legs on one side of the body.

| The honey bee mite has an oval body with all 8 legs on one side of the body.

|[[File:Varroa Mite .jpg|thumb|150px|<small>Copyright Artic 2005 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

|[[File:Varroa Mite .jpg|thumb|100px|<small>Copyright Artic 2005 Wikimedia Commons</small>]]

|-

|-

| The '''bee louse''' ''Braula coeca''

| The '''bee louse''' ''Braula coeca''

| The louse is insignificant as a cause of disease

| The louse is insignificant as a cause of disease

| The body has a more rounded shape (compared to the marked oval shape of ''V. destructor'') and its 6 legs extend outside the margins of the body on either side.

| The body has a more rounded shape (compared to the marked oval shape of ''V. destructor'') and its 6 legs extend outside the margins of the body on either side.

|[[File:Un bourdon infecté par Braula coeca.jpg|thumb|150px|<small>Copyright Eric Lignet 2009 Wikimedia Commons]]   

|[[File:Braula coeca.jpg|thumb|100px|<small>Sourced from Wikimedia Commons]]   

|-

|-

| ''Tropilaelaps spp.''

| ''Tropilaelaps spp.''

| This mite is a '''Notifiable''' exotic parasite that may cause severe disease in honey bee colonies.

| This mite is a '''Notifiable''' exotic parasite that may cause severe disease in honey bee colonies.

| The mites are smaller than ''V. destructor'' and have 6 legs which are visible on either side of the mite.

| The mites are smaller than ''V. destructor'' and have 6 legs which are visible on either side of the mite.

|[[File:Tropilaelaps.jpg|thumb|150px]]

|

|-

|-

| ''Melittiphis alvearius''

| ''Melittiphis alvearius''

| These mites prey on other mites within the hive and cause no harm to bees.

| These mites prey on other mites within the hive and cause no harm to bees.

| The mites are much smaller than ''V. destructor'' but have a similar oval shape.

| The mites are much smaller than ''V. destructor'' but have a similar oval shape.

|[[File:Melittiphis.jpg|thumb|150px]]

|

|}

|}

==Test yourself with the Mites Flashcards==

 

|flashcards = [[Mites_Flashcards|Mites Flashcards]]

[[Mites_Flashcards|Mites Flashcards]]

|literature search =[http://www.cabdirect.org/search.html?q=title:(%22Varroa+destructor%22) ''Varroa destructor'' publications]

 

==Literature Search==

 

 

[http://www.cabdirect.org/search.html?q=title:(%22Varroa+destructor%22) ''Varroa destructor'' publications]

 

==References==

==References==

[[Category:Bee]]

[[Category:Bee]]

[[Category:Miscellaneous_Mites]]

[[Category:Miscellaneous_Mites]]

[[Category:Expert_Review]]

[[Category:Expert_Review]]