varroa mite

Bret Adee, a third-generation beekeeper who owns one of the largest beekeeping companies in the U.S., lost half of his hives — about 50,000 — over the winter. He pops the lid on one of the hives to show off the colony inside.

National

Massive Loss Of Thousands Of Hives Afflicts Orchard Growers And Beekeepers

6:16pm February 18, 2019

by Anna King

Honey bees deal with many stressors: chemicals, climate change and viruses. But this year, a tiny mite has wiped out colonies, causing worry over whether there are enough bees left to do their jobs.

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With an American honeybee queen for a mother and a European honeybee drone for a father, this worker bee has a level of genetic diversity unseen in the U.S. for decades. Researchers at Washington State University hope a deeper gene pool will give a new ge

No Offense, American Bees, But Your Sperm Isn't Cutting It

9:00am July 13, 2017

by Ryan Bell

U.S. bees are in trouble, and one of the major threats is a deadly parasite called varroa mite. So researchers are importing sperm from European bees resistant to mites to toughen up America's stock.

Maryann Frazier, a researcher at Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research, checks on one of her experimental honeybee hives. Frazier is testing the effects of pesticides on honeybee colonies.

Science

A Hardier Honeybee That Fights Back By Biting Back

4:28pm January 11, 2016

by Lou Blouin

The parasitic varroa mite has been wiping out honeybee colonies globally since the late '80s. Now scientists and beekeepers have teamed up to selectively breed bees with a unique, mite-fighting trait.

Wilkesboro Couple Turns Passion into Lucrative Success

11:42pm June 12, 2013

One Wilkesboro company is buzzing with excitement.

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