The Agricutural Research Service wanted to develop bees with a genetic trait that would allow them to easily find the mites and toss them out of the broodnest. Because of this experiment, honey bees are fighting aggressively against Varroa mites. The mites attack the honey bees and begin to feed on a combination of blood and fluid inside the bee. thus could eventually weaken or kill off the colony. Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) is a genetic trait of the honey bee that allows it to remove mite-infested pupae. ARS scientists have developed honey bees with high expression of the VSH trait. Honey bees that now have this VSH trait are more likely to fight off the mites longer and help their colonies lives healthy lives.
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