Greetings! I am a UW Madison graduate student developing a story about bedding down varroa decimated beehives for the winter, progress in coping with the infestation and prognostications for the year to come. How serious is the threat of mite infestation to honeybees and honey production in the United States? How would you describe the econonomic impact of the infestation in this country? What do the mites do that kills bees? What more familiar process might it be compared to? I would also appreciate some framework information: How many bees inhabit how many humanmade hives in the US? How does that compare to the past 1-5 years? 5-10 years? For the same intervals, how much honey have they produced comparatively? For the same intervals, how many acres or sq. miles do they pollinate comparatively? What crops do bees pollinate? Do any other species contribute to this pollination? (butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.) If so, in what proportion? If not, what alternatives, if any exist? I have heard that 60% to 80% of honeybees were lost last winter, compared to normal annual loss of 5-6%. Is this accurate? What else should I know to treat this subject adequately? Thank you for your prompt and generous attention.! Sincerely, Deborah Mink