# Lower Virus Infections in Varroa destructor-Infested and Uninfested Brood and Adult H



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I think of mites on bees like deer ticks on humans: more dangerous for what they carry than for the bites themselves. 

Bees are certainly more damaged by mite bites than humans by tick bites, so the analogy is imperfect. But that's largely because humans will usually see and remove any large number of ticks. A better analogy would be ticks on dogs or cats, which can't effectively remove the ticks, just like (most) bees can't effectively remmove the mites on their own.

But in all cases it's what is transmitted by the bites that causes so much consequential disease and damage. Anybody who lives in the northeast or upper mid-west is probably very aware of the Lyme disease risk, along with the other tick-borne diseases. 

Enj.


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