Tis the season to start checking for the Varroa mite.

They have devastating effects on the colony, because they are an invasive species and our native bees haven’t yet adapted to. They harm developing bee cells, and they spread diseases.

It presents the eternal dilemma of to treat or not to treat.

If we don’t treat, chances are we’ll lose our hives (as natural immunity will take a very long time). Conversely if we treat them, the bees won’t develop any immunity of their own.
The mite lays its eggs alongside the developing bee . Then when the bee cell is capped in the final stages, the mite hatches and feeds off the developing lava.