Breakthrough in fight to save bees

CONSERVATION groups are welcoming a breakthrough in the battle against a deadly mite responsible for decimating the honeybee population.

The Varroa mite is the biggest killer of honeybees worldwide and has developed a resistance to medication developed to destroy it. But scientists have developed a genetic technique that could stop the mite in its tracks.

The mite, which looks like a tiny brown crab, hitches a ride on the bee, draining its blood and weakening its immune system. It takes just 1,000 mites to kill a colony of 50,000 bees.