First Varroa Mite Sighting of the Season!

This beauty is the Varroa Destructor, enlarged to epic proportions! Today, as I went to the hive during my lunch break, I noticed a few drones on the ground (alive) struggling to flip off their backs.

Looking closer, I noticed something was definitely happening to the hive. This was an unmistakable sign of Deformed Wing Virus. With the remaining time before class, I suited up and went in! The remaining drones inside had fully developed wings, looked healthy, etc.

...and just when I was on the last frame, I noticed what looked like a red 'queen mark' on a worker. I quickly pulled the bee off the frame and found the little Varroa mite trying to hide.

Stay tuned to see if my treatment works.