Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman is the most injurious parasitic pest of honeybee in the world. Varroa mites had been originally external parasites of Asian honeybee (Apis cerana Fab.) in south eastern Asia. They jumped to European honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) by 1963. Since then they have killed millions of European honeybee colony, which might be susceptible to them, in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. Also in Korea since Varroa mites were first found in 1968, they have been destructive pests in most of A. mellifera apiaries. Varroa destructor commonly infesting the European honeybees was classified in 2000 as a different species from the Varroa jacobsoni originally identified on Asian honeybees. Varroa mites not only feed the haemolymph of bees, but also introduce virulent viral diseases, and interrupt the development of bee colony. The other external parasitic mite, Tropilaelaps clarea Delfinado & Baker, which was introduced in 1994 from China, has widely spread and also brought damages on honeybees.

• Myeong-Lyeol Lee(Department of Sericulture and Apiculture, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, RDA)
• Yong Soo Choi(Department of Sericulture and Apiculture, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, RDA)
• Won Tae Kim(Department of Sericulture and Apiculture, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, RDA)