Destructive Mite Threatens Hawaii Bees

April 26th, 2007 in Biology /
Destructive Mite Threatens Hawaii Bees (AP)

The Varroa mite, not much larger than the point of a sharpened pencil, is seen behind the eye of this honey bee, (brown area) May 10, 2005, in Gainesville, Fla. The tiny mite that has devastated mainland commercial honeybee hives and wild populations was discovered April 6, 2007 on a pupa contained in an abandoned hive recovered from the Makiki section of Honolulu and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu. Originally from Asia, varroa mites were first discovered in Wisconsin and Florida in 1987. (AP Photo/Florida Division of Plant Industry)

(AP) -- A tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee populations showed up in Honolulu hives for the first time this month and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu.

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