ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque-based company says it has a revolutionary new way to protect beehives from colony collapse disorder. The Varroa mite is a tiny parasite that attaches itself to honey bees. It’s believed the mite is partly responsible for colony collapse disorder.
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New Mexico-based Terra Vera has designed a machine that fogs beehives with amino acids and sugars that kill mites, but leave the bees unharmed. “Mites are really causing a huge catastrophe right now in honey bee populations. Last year, over the winter, between 40-60% of hives in the United States were lost due to colonies collapsing, due to these mites,” said Justin Sanchez, Terra Vera Co-Founder.
The company said the fog eventually breaks down into amino acids and sugars the bees can use as food. Honey bees pollinate as much as two-thirds of our food crops.
