Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), is considered to be the most important factor driving high rates of honey bee colony losses in the US and the rest of the world. Being detrimental to the honey bee population we still lack the knowledge of some of the basic physiology of mites.
Krisztina has been conducting research of Varroa destructor mite size variability within the United States which led her to investigate biotic, abiotic and genetic factors behind this phenomenon.
This research became a high priority when a small mite was discovered in the U.S. that appeared to be Varroa jacobsoni, the descendant of a shared ancestor of V. destructor that only infests the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) in Asia. Molecularly it was determined to be V. destructor but it raised the substantive question of what are the selecting pressures for smaller mites in the US that may have consequences for bee management.
Krisztina has been conducting research of Varroa destructor mite size variability within the United States which led her to investigate biotic, abiotic and genetic factors behind this phenomenon.
This research became a high priority when a small mite was discovered in the U.S. that appeared to be Varroa jacobsoni, the descendant of a shared ancestor of V. destructor that only infests the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) in Asia. Molecularly it was determined to be V. destructor but it raised the substantive question of what are the selecting pressures for smaller mites in the US that may have consequences for bee management.