Honey Bee Parasites, Pests, Predators and Diseases

Malformed workers on comb

Symptoms of a Varroa mite infestation in a honey bee colony are dependent upon the degree of infestation. Low level Varroa infestations are difficult to detect. Medium to high infestations may result in the appearance of a spotty brood pattern and malformed worker and drone adults with deformed wings and small abdomens. Such bees are often seen crawling and unable to fly. Colonies become severely debilitated as mite populations reach extremely high levels.