Changes

The Varroa mite, ''Varroa destructor'', is an external parasite that lives on honey bees (both ''Apis mellifera'' and ''Apis cerana''). The adult mites feed on the hemolymph of adult honey bees and lay their eggs in brood cells in the honey bee hive. This parasite is one of the main threats to honey bee hive health and is thought to play a role in [[colony collapse disorder]]. The concurrent transmission of viruses, such as deformed wing virus, causes the main mortality in the honey bees.

'''Early summer'''<br />

This is the time when you should begin to remove the sealed drone brood that harbor a proportionally higher number of Varroa mites than worker brood. You can diminish the mite population considerably by continuously having the bees rear drone brood and then [[Drone brood removal|removing]] them regularly. The drones are usually reared until mid-July, after which the drone removal can be stopped.