varroa mite
noun
var·roa mite
ˈver-ə-wə- 
ˈva-rə-
: any of a genus (Varroa) of parasitic Asian mites that suck the hemolymph of honeybees and their larvae
especially
: one (V. destructor) of worldwide distribution that is a serious pest of the European honeybee
Examples of varroa mite in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The usual causes of bee death, such as a nasty parasite known as the varroa mite, do not seem to be the cause.
—
Amy Feldman, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2025
GreenLight has applied for regulatory approval for a pesticide targeting the varroa mite, the main plague of honey bees, which can resist almost all available pesticides.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 27 June 2024
The main problem is the varroa mite, which jumped from the Asian honeybee to the Western honeybee, which was imported from Europe to North American in the 1600s.
—Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, the female varroa mite gets to work, depositing her offspring in the cell and feeding on the developing bee larva.
—Time, 3 July 2023
And while cheap and easy travel has enabled the migration of both humans and animals, this has also contributed to the spread of viruses and pests, like the varroa mite, that are killing bees, along with climate change.
—Shoshanna Solomon, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022
Millions of bees have been destroyed to help contain the spread of the deadly varroa mite, which reappeared in the country last week near the Port of Newcastle.
—New York Times, 30 June 2022
Beekeepers then shifted to another miticide called amitraz, but after twenty years of use, the varroa mite is beginning to show signs of resistance with only a limited number of other options in the pipeline.
—Steven Savage, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
Some 2 decades ago, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and elsewhere began to study related species that can kill the varroa mite.
—Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, 4 June 2021
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Amy Feldman, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2025
GreenLight has applied for regulatory approval for a pesticide targeting the varroa mite, the main plague of honey bees, which can resist almost all available pesticides.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 27 June 2024
The main problem is the varroa mite, which jumped from the Asian honeybee to the Western honeybee, which was imported from Europe to North American in the 1600s.
—Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, the female varroa mite gets to work, depositing her offspring in the cell and feeding on the developing bee larva.
—Time, 3 July 2023
And while cheap and easy travel has enabled the migration of both humans and animals, this has also contributed to the spread of viruses and pests, like the varroa mite, that are killing bees, along with climate change.
—Shoshanna Solomon, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2022
Millions of bees have been destroyed to help contain the spread of the deadly varroa mite, which reappeared in the country last week near the Port of Newcastle.
—New York Times, 30 June 2022
Beekeepers then shifted to another miticide called amitraz, but after twenty years of use, the varroa mite is beginning to show signs of resistance with only a limited number of other options in the pipeline.
—Steven Savage, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
Some 2 decades ago, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and elsewhere began to study related species that can kill the varroa mite.
—Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, 4 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Varroa mite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/varroa%20mite. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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