This page provides information on the Varroa destructor mite and its presence in Hawaii
On Friday April 6 the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, was detected on honey bees in Hawai`i for the first time in 4 hives that had been abandoned for some years on the grounds of the Makiki Nature Center in urban Honolulu. The HBA is working closely with the Department of Agriculture to survey the surrounding area and the entire island of O`ahu in order to locate and contain this infestation ASAP. Please refer any calls related to sighting of any honey bee swarms or feral colonies to Michael Kliks at 988-7203 in Honolulu so that we can locate the bees and collect adequate samples from them for detecting mites and map the distribution of this destructive parasite. Do not move any managed honey bee colonies within the City and County of Honolulu or between islands until further notice! I have attached some documents below relating to Varroa on the Mainland, and a web link (below) to the NZ plan for controlling this parasite when it was discovered there a few years ago. Please contact me regarding training and materials needed to quantitatively detect Varroa in your managed colonies using the "alcohol shake" method or by examining drone pupae. This is a disaster for beekeeping in Hawai`i! All that we can do now is to manage it. MMK News articles related to HawaiiLingle nixes more money to fight bee killer Varroa mites are downtown and the Super Ferry is in port Varroa mites may already be on the Superferry due to Dept. of Agriculture neglect Bee-killing mite could easily hitchhike on ferry Oahu honeybees imperiled Invasive species will be among Superferry interisland passengers To Bee or Not to Bee Deadly Parasite: Worldwide plague reaches Hawai'i $650,000 is appropriated to attack mite killing bees Bee Happy! Tests show there are no bee mites on Molokai Molokai beekeepers celebrate: No mites found on Molokai Serious Bee Mite Found On Honey Bees In Hawaii Bee mites have spread on Oahu Bee parasites found in more parts of Oahu Destructive Mite Threatens Hawaii Bees Discovery of bee mite on Oahu could close honey businesses Discovery of bee mite on Oahu could close honey businesses Tiny mite big threat to bee industry Honey bees quarantined Resource documents from other regionsVarroa mite control in South Carolina (PDF) Operational Plan to eradicate Varroa from New Zealand Disease Strategy: Bee diseases and pests from Australia 
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This page is located at: http://www.HawaiiBeekeepers.org/varroa.php
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