Southern California bees are keeping deadly mites in check
In Southern California, some honeybees appear to be doing what many others across the country cannot: living with one of beekeeping’s most destructive parasites and keeping it under control. That matters at a time when U.S. beekeepers are reporting severe losses. Managed honeybee colonies in the United States have faced annual losses of 40% to 50% in recent years, and losses reached as high as 62% in 2025, according to the source material behind a new study from the University of California, Riverside. One of the biggest reasons is a parasite called Varroa destructor. The mite reproduces inside brood cells and then feeds on adult bees, damaging tissue that bees need for basic survival. The study notes that mites remove fat body tissue, causing an 11% to 19% drop in body weight. They also help spread dangerous viruses, including deformed wing virus, acute bee paralysis virus, and black queen cell virus. Inside a colony, the damage builds. Bees struggle with learning and navigation, foraging suffers, and core tasks such as brood care and thermoregulation begin …
