The connection between virus and varroa comes back to bite us like a nagging case of the crabs. Colony collapse is not a new thing, either. In 1998 they described it like this:

Some apparently healthy colonies are able to support large mite populations while others containing a much lower mite population collapse. One possible explanation is the impact of various diseases, particularly certain viruses.

Eight naturally infested A. mellifera colonies fitted with screened floors had their debris collected weekly and the number of sealed brood and adult bees estimated monthly, until they collapsed.

The signs of colony collapse, which were similar in all cases, were a decline in the adult bee population eventually resulting in only a few bees (< 200) and the queen. No, or very few, dead bees were found in the hive.

The present results, like those of previous studies [7, 9], suggest a close link between the presence of certain viruses and colony collapse.

Martin, et al (1998) A scientific note on Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans and the collapse of Apis mellifera L. colonies in the United Kingdom

See also

Hung A.C.F., Shimanuki H., Knox D.A., The role of viruses in bee parasitic mite syndrome, Am. Bee J. 136 (1996) 731-732.

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