RNA interference against varroa has been in the works for several years. This is from a summary of the state of the art, by Kate Aronstein, et al. As I said, these sorts of efforts require funding, and so there has to be a potential return on investment.

> Efforts to use RNAi to control a major mite parasite of the honey bee are underway. The gene encoding glutathione S-transferase, involved in detoxification of pesticides used to control mites in the hive, was targeted successfully in Varroa destructor with dsRNA (Campbell et al., 2010). Two different dsRNA delivery methods were evaluated, microinjection and soaking mites in dsRNA solution.  Encouraging results were obtained by soaking mites in a solution of dsRNA in 0.9% NaCl. The method enables high-throughput screening to identify the best targets for control of this devastating pest of honey bees, even though the exact mechanism of dsRNA up-take is unknown.

> RNAi has also been used to explore host-pathogen interactions in mosquitoes. One study explored the role of an antibacterial peptide encoded by a defensin family member (DEF) in Anopheles gambiae (Blandin et al., 2002). Targeting this A. gambiae defensin with gene-specific dsRNA resulted in DEF knock down (up to 12 days) and increased the mosquito’s vulnerability to Gram-positive bacteria 

See Katherine Aronstein, Brenda Oppert and Marcé D. Lorenzen (2011). RNAi in Agriculturally-Important Arthropods, RNA Processing, Prof. Paula Grabowski (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-557-0, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/rna-processing/rnai-in-agriculturally-important-arthropods

See also CAMPBELL, E M; BUDGE, G E; BOWMAN, A S (2010) Gene-knockdown in the honey bee mite Varroa destructor by a non-invasive approach: studies on a glutathione S-transferase. Parasites and Vectors 3: 73. 

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