‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees | Bees

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1. Nutshell – varroa mites have developed resistance to the chemicals used to control them

   *Varroa mites – equivalent in size to a dinner plate on a human body – crawl and jump between worker bees. If there are no infections present, they do not typically damage the bee. But if diseases are present, they quickly spread them.

   While varroa typically infects honeybees, not wild bees, the diseases that they spread can kill other pollinators – research has shown that the viral outbreaks among honeybees often spill over to wild colonies, with potential knock-on effects on biodiversity.*

2. It Varroa mites, a parasitic mite that kills bees. It eats the fat from the bee and a single mite can reduce a bees life span by ~50%.

   If a hive goes untreated they’re typically dead within 2 years

   https://youtu.be/_59JZgzXoeg 15 min video on the topic for those that want to in-depth explanation about the parasite, where it came from and how it works

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