Since it’s spring and I just finished treating hives for the mites that carry viruses that kill off our honey bees, I thought folks would like a little educational piece on what we’re fighting as beekeepers.

Here are pictures of what the mite looks like on the bees, on the larvae/pupae in the cells as they’re growing and a bottom board survey I did in December after a treatment.

The last picture is of a bee that survived the process of growing up with the mite in its cell, but was affected by the viruses that the mite carries and transmits to the bee – this one has DWV (Deformed Wing Virus) and will not live long…