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The mite Varroa destructor is the most important parasite of honey bees and a key threat for apiculture worldwide. These mites are obligatory ectoparasites that breed exclusively in the bee larvae, that develop inside the cells of bee hives. Adult mites emerge from these cells and crawl on other bees in the colony, that can carry them within and outside the hive.

The attack by V. destructor are highly lethal, because of its direct expoliation of the hosts and also because the mite is a vector of other pathogens, like the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In many temperate regions, human-kept bee hives infested by V. destructor collapse in 3-4 years if left untreated.

• Diao, Q. and Hou, C., 2018. Does nonreproductive swarming adapt to pathogens?. PLoS pathogens, 14(1), p.e1006742.
• Loftus, J.C., Smith, M.L. and Seeley, T.D., 2016. How honey bee colonies survive in the wild: testing the importance of small nests and frequent swarming. PloS one, 11(3), p.e0150362.
• Rosenkranz, P., Aumeier, P. and Ziegelmann, B., 2010. Biology and control of Varroa destructor. Journal of invertebrate pathology, 103, S96-S119. pdf