Bees are essential pollinators but increasingly struggle with food shortages, pesticides, and…

Bees are essential pollinators but increasingly struggle with food shortages, pesticides, and heat. Honey bees are often infested by the parasitic varroa mite, which sucks their blood and transmits the deadly deformed wing virus (DWV) and other pathogens. This causes larvae to die or develop crippled wings, potentially decimating or wiping out entire colonies.

An even more dangerous mite, the Tropilaelaps mite, is spreading. It nests mainly in brood combs, sucking blood from larvae and pupae, which often die before emerging. Compared to varroa, this parasite is smaller, more mobile, and more harmful. It reproduces faster, accelerating colony collapse. Without treatment, infested colonies usually perish quickly.