Honey bee parasites, varroa mites, feed on fatty organs, not blood

Among the many threats to honey bee colonies around the world, one stands alone: the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. For decades, researchers assumed that varroa mites feed on blood, like many of their mite and tick cousins. But new research suggests that varroa mites have a voracious appetite for a honey bee organ called the fat body, which serves many of the same vital functions carried out by the human liver.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2RSvlre