> Until 2019, everyone knew varroa was a vampire that fed on honey bee hemolymph. But then Sammy Ramsey published his paradigm altering study, showing varroa was actually more like a werewolf since it fed primarily on the fat bodies of adult honey bees.

> But this paradigm shift didn’t sit quite right with some researchers. Ramsey’s study was excellent, but some people felt the full feeding situation across all mite and bee life stages might be a bit more complex. ... hemolymph is indeed the primary dietary source for reproductive-stage varroa.

> Scientists and beekeepers originally thought varroa fed on hemolymph. That changed in 2019, when we learned at least one stage of varroa fed primarily on fat bodies. With this new study by Han and colleagues, we’ve learned that both statements are true.

Scott McArt, ABJ April 2024

posted by PLB

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