It would be an informative adventure (largely academic) to either calculate or measure the tax of parasitism (as in nutrients robbed) via feeding on haemolymph vs. gnawing on fat bodies. It could be that what a developing family of a male and its sisters takes from the feeding wound opened by the mother mite, probably most likely from haemolymph, is as much or more than what an adult female mite takes to keep itself fed and produce batches of eggs.
In the end, no matter the feeding mode, varroa mites take their tax, directly from nutrients, and indirectly activating viruses. A force to be reckoned with, no matter the method or philosophy.
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