Mite infestation in the honeybee colony has a long-term impact on hive health

Mary O’Riordan describes one of the worse plagues to befall bees in this country in just over ten years since the negligent importation by some beekeepers of the deadly parasite — the varroa mite.

Mites and disease are not the most popular topics of conversation — however we need to talk about them at some stage.

Beekeeping was a relatively easy hobby, or business, prior to the arrival of the varroa mite, (Varroa destructor) which was discovered in Ireland in 1998 or thereabouts.