So far, elevated colony losses have recently been reported from Europe (Crailsheim et al., 2009), the USA (vanEngelsdorp et al., 2009; 2010), the Middle East (Haddad et al., 2009; Soroker et al., 2009), and Japan (Guttierrez, 2009), but not from South America, Africa and Australia. Colonies of African honey bees and Africanized honey bees in South America survive without Varroa destructor treatment, whilst the mite has not yet been introduced into Australia. This global picture indicates a central role of this particular ectoparasitic mite for colony losses.
