Genetic weapon developed against honeybee-killer


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Researchers have developed a genetic technique which could revitalise the fight against the honeybee's worst enemy - the Varroa mite.

The method enables researchers to "switch off" genes in the Varroa mite, a parasite that targets the honeybee.

The scientists say this could eventually be used to force the mites to "self-destruct".

The treatment is now at an early, experimental stage but could be developed into an anti-Varroa medicine.

Varroa destructor is widely accepted to be the major pest affecting the European honeybee, and has been linked to a worldwide decline in these important pollinating insects.

The human equivalent, he explained, would be having "an organism on your back that's about the size of a dinner plate, which creates a hole through which it can feed and through which its family can feed".

"The hole doesn't seal up - they drink blood through it and inject viruses into it."

To tackle this particularly nasty pest, bee researchers and parasite specialists came together to harness a method called RNA interference (RNAi).

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