? Varroa destructor
Varroa destructor, Photo by Scott Bauer
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Acari Family: Parasitidae Genus: Varroa Species: V. destructor
Binomial name
Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, 2000

Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, the bumblebee Bombus pennsylvanicus, the scarab beetle Palpada vinetorum and the flower-fly Phanaeus vindex. It was until recently mislabeled as Varroa jacobsoni. Image File history File links K5111-10i. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Orders Acarina Amblypygi Araneae Opiliones Palpigradi Pseudoscorpionida Ricinulei Schizomida Scorpiones Solifugae Uropygi The arachnids, Arachnida, are a class of invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. ... Families Tetranychidae - Spider mites Eriophyidae - Gall mites Sarcoptidae - Sarcoptic Mange mites The mites and ticks, order Acarina or Acari, belong to the Arachnida and are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups, although some way behind the insects. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... The honeybee is a colonial insect that is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. ... Apis cerana are small honeybees of southern and southeastern Asia. ... Binomial name Apis mellifera The species called Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) are honeybees comprised of several subspecies or races. ... Species see text A bumblebee in flight The bumblebee is a flying insect of the genus Bombus in the family Apidae. ... Genera not a complete list Agestrata Augosoma Canthon Chrysina Chalcosoma Chelorrhina Cheirolasia Cheirotonus Cotinis Dynastes Eudicella Goliathus Megsoma Onthophagus Pachnoda Phanaeus Plusiotis Ranzania Rhomborrhina Stephanorrhina Xylotrupes The scarab is a type of beetle noted for rolling dung into spherical balls and pushing it, as well as its habit of laying... Genera many genera about 5,000 species The flower flies or hoverflies are a family of flies (Diptera), scientifically termed Syrphidae. ...

It can only replicate in a honeybee hive. It attaches at the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking haemolymph. In this process the mite may also spread RNA viral agents and bacteria to the bee. A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honeybee colony, usually in the winter. The varroa mite has been the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry. Domesticated honeybees are kept in beehives. ... Hemolymph (or haemolymph) is the blood analogue used by those animals, such as all arthropods and most mollusks, that have an open circulatory system. ... A virus is a small particle that infects cells in biological organisms. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae MONERA KINGDOM Bacteria Division (Phylum) Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the practice of intentional maintenance of honeybee hives by humans. ...

Origin

Varroa destructor was until recently thought to be a closely related mite species called Varroa jacobsoni. Both species parasitize the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana. The mite species originally described as V. jacobsoni by Oudemans in 1904 is part of the same species complex, but not the same species that made the jump to Apis mellifera. That jump probably first took place in the Philippines in the early 1960’s. Only after Apis mellifera were imported to the Philippines, it came into close contact with Apis cerana. Varroa as a parasite of Apis cerana, also became a parasite of Apis mellifera. Up until 3000, scientists did not positively identify Varroa destructor as a separate species. In 2005, we know that the only varroa mites that can reproduce in colonies of Apis mellifera (Western honeybee) are the Korea and Japan/Thailand genotypes of Varroa destructor. Varroa jacobsoni is a fairly benign parasite of Apis cerana. This late identification in 2000 by Anderson and Trueman led to some confusion and mislabeling in the scientific literature. Binomial name Varroa destructor Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, the bumblebee Bombus pennsylvanicus, the scarab beetle Palpada vinetorum and the flower-fly Phanaeus vindex. ... Anthonid Cornelis Oudemans was a Dutch scientist. ...

Varroa destructor on bee larva

Varroa mite Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 03:49, Nov 9, 2004 (UTC) ( ) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Anatomy

• Reddish-brown in color
• 1.00-1.77 mm long and 1.50-1.99 mm wide
• Flat, button shape
• Eight legs

Life cycle

The female mite enters a honeybee brood cell. As soon as the cell is capped, the mite lays eggs. The young mites hatch in about the same time as the young bee develops and leave the cell with the host.

Varroa mite on pupa

The model for the population dynamics is that there is exponential growth when bee brood is available and exponential decline when no brood is available. Image File history File links Vorroa_Mite_on_pupa. ... Image File history File links Vorroa_Mite_on_pupa. ... Population dynamics is the study of marginal and long-term changes in the numbers, individual weights and age composition of individuals in one or several populations, and biological and environmental processes influencing those changes. ... In mathematics, a quantity that grows exponentially is one that grows at a rate proportional to its size. ...

Reproduction

Mites reproduce on a 10-day cycle. In 12 weeks the number of mites in a Western honeybee hive can roughly multiply by 12. Russian honey bees are one third to one half less susceptible to mite reproduction. Binomial name Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honeybee comprised of several subspecies or races. ... The Russion honeybee from the Primorsky Krai, a region in the southern extreme of the Russian Far East, belongs to the species Apis mellifera. ...

Source: Russian Queens Bee-little Mites' Impact by J. Raloff, Science News, Aug. 8, 1998

Worldwide Range Expansion

• 1984 Switzerland
• 1987 USA
• 1989 Canada
• 1992 England
• 2000 New Zealand

1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Control methods in beehive

• pyrethroid insecticide (Apistan)
• organophosphate insecticide (Coumaphos(Check-mite))
• oxalic acid trickling method or applied as vapor
• formic acid as vapor or pads
• Screened bottom board with sticky board is a purely physical method. It separates mites that fall through the screen and the sticky board prevents them from crawling back up.
• Foodgrade mineral oil as vapor and in direct application on paper or cords.
• Essential oil especially lemon, mint, and thyme oil
• Dusting with powdered sugar (Dowda Method)
• freezing or heating of capped drone brood method
• swarming or queen arrest method. When the brood cycle is interrupted the mites cannot multiply either.

A pyrethroid is a synthetic chemical that kills most insects. ... Insecticide application by crop spraying An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ... An organophosphate (sometimes abbreviated OP) is the general name for any organic compound containing phosphorus. ... Oxalic acid (IUPAC name: ethanedioic acid, formula H2C2O4) is a dicarboxylic acid with structure (HOOC)-(COOH). ... Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest carboxylic acid. ...

References

• D. Anderson & J. W. H. Trueman (2000). "Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species." Experimental & Applied Acarology, 24, 165-189.

External links

• Notes on Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) parasitic on honeybees in New Zealand ZHI-QIANG ZHANG, Systematic & Applied Acarology Special Publications (2000) 5, 9-14
• Managing varroa Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1996
• Varroa destructor: Revolution in the Making Keith S. Delaplane, University of Georgia; Bee World; 2001; 82(4): 157-159
• Tracheal and Varroa Mite Controls Apiculture Factsheet #221, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Government of British Columbia; April 2004
• Essential Oils for Varroa Control Botanicals For Mite Control, Canadian Honey Council, 3/16/2003