I was dissecting some drone brood when I found them… Varroa destructor—the vampiric parasites of the hive. 🕷️ I slipped a few onto a microscope slide, and they looked like they were dancing. But the truth? It was just the gel. Nothing like a bit of science to ruin the illusion.🖤 Creepy Mite Facts:• They prefer drone brood—it gives them more time to reproduce• Each female mite can lay up to 6 eggs in a single cell• They feed on fat bodies, weakening the bee’s immune system• They’re vectors for

This poor little girl had just hatched out with two visible varroa mites still attached to her. For some reason she didn’t show any signs of deformed wing virus, but that’s not to say she was in good health. You can see her cleaning out the cell she came from just like all other newborns do while the mites (red dots) scurry about her. They’ve had their fill at this point. Next step is to ride on her until she’s around open brood cells for them to infest and continue the cycle. I first noticed th

Worker Bee Life Cycle: Day 16 - The most forceful bee enemy, The Varroa mite, Has its only reproduction phase Inside capped bee brood cells | OneQueen.ro

✨𝚅𝙰𝚁𝚁𝙾𝙰 𝙼𝙸𝚃𝙴✨Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) is an ectoparasite of Apis mellifera-or-the European Honey bee. These tiny vampires of the beekeeping world don’t just hitch a ride — they suck the life (and fat bodies) right out of your bees while spreading viruses like they’re handing out party favors. If you’re not monitoring and treating (as needed), congratulations… you’re basically running an all-you-can-eat buffet for parasites. | Nooga Honey Pot