The world needs successful beekeepers

For more than 100 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs, the honey bee has survived and thrived. That changed in the 1950s when a parasite from the Eastern honey bee—Varroa destructor—spread to the Western honey bee with devastating results.  

Today, we know how to manage Varroa, but it is essential that new beekeepers understand the need for regular, effective treatment throughout the year and most especially in early August.

To help new beekeepers start with confidence, we offer free Beginner Beekeeper Classes every Saturday morning in April starting at 10 am. We cover the four pillars of sound beekeeping including and likely more importantly,  proven organic ways to control varroa mites.  

Instructor: Janette Chudleigh, Registered Beekeeping Instructor - BCHPA 
Location: HoneyBee Lane Bees, 6235 Lakes Road, Duncan, BC
Cost:  This is a community service and Free
Registration: Pre-registration required - contact us at honeybeelanebees@gmail.com

It is essential that Beekeepers learn to control this tiny mite from the moment they arrive home with a nuc

What Is the Varroa mite?

The Varroa Destructor mite is a parasitic external mite that attacks honey bees. It is considered to be one of the most damaging pest of the Western honey bee worldwide.

Appearance

  • Size: Approximately 1.1 mm long and 1.6 mm wide (about the size of a pinhead).

  • Shape: Oval and slightly flattened, allowing it to hide between the bee’s abdominal segments.

  • Colour: Typically reddish-brown in adults. Newly emerged mites are pale.

Varroa mites can be seen by the naked eye

Where they are found

Varroa mites attach primarily to the thorax and abdomen of adult bees, where they feed on the bees themselves.  
They also enter brood cells, especially drone brood (male larvae), where they reproduce after the cells are capped.  

To be a sucessful bee "keeper" folks MUST learn to control  this tiny creature.  Without proper care, honey bees are unlikely to survive their first winter.

Damage caused:

  • Weakens individual bees by feeding on vital tissue

  • Shortens lifespan and reduces foraging ability

  • Can deform developing bees

  • Transmits multiple viral diseases, including Deformed Wing Virus (DWV)

  • Causes colony population collapse if left unmanaged

  • Causes honey bees to abscond in late summer when infestations are high.

Why are Varroa mites so dangerous?

A single untreated colony can produce thousands of mites in a season, and reinfest neighbouring colonies as female worker bees and male drones visit or rob other local hives. Because Varroa reproduce inside capped brood, their population grows much faster than the bees unless treated.   

This photo shows honey bee larvae and pupae at various stages of development, with a single varroa mite highlighted in red. Worker bees cap developing larvae with beeswax around day 8–9. From the time a fertilized egg is laid, female worker bees emerge after 21 days, drones take approximately 25 days, and queens develop the fastest, emerging in just 16 days