Pesticides, diseases, poor nutrition and habitat loss are threatening honey bee colonies around the world. But according to a recent study, one threat stands well above the others, a parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, which specialises in attacking honey bees.While it remains a well-known fact that varroa mites feed on blood, like many of their mite and tick cousins, the researchers have now suggests that varroa mites instead have a voracious appetite for a honey bee organ called the fat body, which serves many of the same vital functions carried out by the human liver, while also storing food and contributing to bees' immune systems.The research was published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."Bee researchers often refer to three Ps: parasites, pesticides and poor nutrition. Many studies have shown that varroa is the biggest issue. But when compromised by varroa, colonies are also more susceptible to the other two," said Samuel Ramsey, lead researcher of the ...
