Identification and comparison of Varroa species infesting honey bees

Abstract

Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans, V. underwoodi Delfinado-Baker and Aggarwal and V. rindereri de Guzman and Delfinado-Baker are obligatory parasites of honey bees. The key morphological characters, host range and geographic distribution of these three species are reviewed. The occurrence of different genotypes of V. jacobsoni, their geographic distribution and virulence on honey bee hosts are discussed.