Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too
Scientists have been scrambling to discover what happened; now the culprits are emerging. A research paper published by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), though not yet peer-reviewed, has found nearly all colonies had contracted a bee virus spread by parasitic mites that appear to have developed resistance to the main chemicals used to control them.
Further down the article they quote someone saying they don’t think this is the actual cause. Apparently the mites and virus are in most hives, so they’re not convinced it’s the cause of the die off rather than just a symptom of a weakened hive.
Varroa mites spreading disease.
Is this news? I thought these mites were already on beekeepers radars
Further down the article they quote someone saying they don’t think this is the actual cause. Apparently the mites and virus are in most hives, so they’re not convinced it’s the cause of the die off rather than just a symptom of a weakened hive.
Looked into beekeeping on and off and varroa mites are a top consideration in any source I’ve read.