Varroa destructor (syn. V. jacobsoni)

The genus name was given in honor to the Roman Marcus Terentius Varro who wrote 100 years after Jesus Christ a book on bees; Latin: destructor = destroyer.

This ubiquitous ectoparasitic mite of honey bees (Apis mellifera) has its origin in Asia, and due to globalization of goods, it was able to invade many countries around the world in such an intensity that it became the primary cause of colony mortality worldwide. The reason for this effect is seen in the active transmission of several viruses, among which the deformed wing virus” seems to be the most important, since due to its presence, the search of food by working bees is intensively blocked. The adult females lay their eggs in the honeycombs. The proto- and deutonymphs of the mite suck hemolymph at the bee larvae, which thus become weak and finally die (Figs. 1 and 2).

Fig. 1

Scanning electron micrograph of V. jacobsoni; from dorsal