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Agri View: Varroa Mite Research

Dan Agri View, Citrus, Field & Row Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Tree, nut & vine crops, Vegetables

Bee-keeper keeps in hand honeycomb frame with bees on it.
Everett Griner talks about CCD and the Varroa Mite research in today’s Agri View.

Varroa Mite Research

Now I try to pass along all of the information I get on CCD. That is the disease that threatens the future of the honeybee. There is nothing new to report this week except that the effort to find a solution to the problem is still in high gear. One thing that contributes to the problem is there is no less than sixty factors that cause CCD. It is possible there may be more than that. The Varroa mite is one of the major factors. Now that has to be taken care of before the problem is solved. The mite is about the size of the head of a pin. They suck the blood out of the bee’s body. This makes them susceptible to other diseases. Although it is just one of the problems, it is considered one of the most difficult. So the search goes on. It has been ten years. It could be ten more but nobody is giving up.

That’s Agri View for today. I’m Everett Griner.