Varroa Mite Wins Beekeeper's Grudging Respect After Surviving Third Treatment

A backyard beekeeper in North Carolina has publicly expressed what he calls "grudging professional respect" for a varroa mite population that has survived three consecutive treatment protocols.

Robert Hivesworth applied oxalic acid vapor in October, followed by formic acid strips in November, followed by a second round of oxalic acid in December, accompanied by what he describes as "significant verbal discouragement." Post-treatment mite counts remained stubbornly elevated.

"At some point you have to tip your hat," Hivesworth said. "These mites have endured chemical warfare that would make a Cold War strategist uncomfortable. They've earned my respect, even as they continue to destroy everything I care about."

The mites, members of the species Varroa destructor — a name Hivesworth notes is "refreshingly honest for a scientific classification" — have been parasitizing honey bee colonies worldwide since their jump from Asian honey bees in the mid-twentieth century.

Hivesworth has documented his treatment regimen in a blog titled "The Mite Strikes Back," which has attracted a modest following of similarly frustrated beekeepers.

"I've spent more money fighting varroa than I've ever made selling honey," he admitted. "But I refuse to let a creature the size of a pinhead win a war of attrition against a mammal with access to the internet and a credit card."

He is currently researching a fourth treatment option, though he concedes that at this point the mites may have developed what he calls "a personality."