Are honey bee aware that varroa mite are very harmful for their health?”
The Asian bee, Apis cerana, is the natural host to external mites: Varroa spp. including V. destructor and V. jacobsoni. Both species of mites are similar in appearance and may only be distinguished by microscopic examination. V. destructor is a serious pest of the commercially kept European honeybee, Apis mellifera, and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is on alert for A. cerana and any foreign bees at our ports. A. cerana look similar to A. mellifera, but are smaller and have more predominant abdominal striping. A. cerana naturally co-exist with varroa mites and have mechanisms to cope with them, however, European honeybees do not. Once infested with V. destructor, the demise of the colony is rapid. V. destructor parasitises adult and developing bees resulting in weak, deformed bees. There is also concern that some V. jacobsoni may now have the ability to attack European honeybees. Bee mites are considered the most devastating pest-threat to the Australian honeybee
