In our lab, we benefit from a diverse repertoire of individuals coming from varied backgrounds. Working at a university includes the benefit of having motivated students with unique skills ready to use their talents. Byron Mariani, a Sophomore Kinesiology Major, is one of these students who began working at the Bee Informed Partnership Lab at the beginning of the fall 2013 semester. In addition to the help he provides in diagnosing colonies for Varroa, he has also proven himself invaluable with his video editing abilities. With the help from our undergraduates, Anthony Nearman who provides a voice-over, and Kirsten Traynor who wrote the script, we are proud to release a new short video on Varroa Mites and the processing we conduct on mites from samples we receive from the field.
Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that infests honey bee colonies by living off the hemolymph of honey bees. The Varroa mite has had the most pronounced impact on the honey bee and beekeeping industry compared to any other parasite or disease. This video provides a short overview of the honey bee life cycle and the evolving relationship that has occurred between Varroa destructor and Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In addition, this video also explores the standardized techniques we use to diagnose colonies for Varroa mites at the Bee Informed Partnership.