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→Impact on Feral Bee Population
===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==