BeeScanning is the world’s only varroa finding app and easy-to-use management tool in one. Keep track of bee health and hive status with our healthy-hives-functionalities, note the work that you have done and plan for important tasks ahead. BeeScanning is used worldwide and is made by beekeepers, for beekeepers.

Parasitic Mite Syndrome is a condition that causes a honey bee colony to deteriorate and eventually dwindle away and die. There has not yet been a pathogen detected which causes these brood symptoms . However there are always varroa mites present with this syndrome. The brood symptoms look similar to other diseases but the larvae don’t rope. Colonies with PMS will show symptoms of white larvae that are chewed or pecked down by workers. Larvae may appear sunken to the side of the cell and may show symptoms of white with some debris at the posterior end. Pupa will be chewed down/removed or the pupa face chewed part of the way down as seen in the photo. Most of the symptoms shown are from hygienic bees trying to remove varroa mite infested cells and or larvae/pupa from cells. There is sometimes color to the larvae and this is attributed to age, decomposition or secondary bacteria. (Bee Informed)

At BeeScanning we suspect PMS may be interpreted as a lack of hygienic behaviour due to multiple stress factors. When a worker bee is infested with a varroa mite it behaves in a way that hinders her to fulfil her work and in the same time she causes stress in her close contact with adjacent bees. Thus creating a negative spiral where virus, bacteria, fungus and mall nutrion all destroy the colony health.