How long can the varroa mite survive without feeding?
1. Less than 48 hours
2. Up to 5 days
3. About 2 weeks
4. Up to 1 year
See the answer
Correct answer no. 2: In the absence of any feeding opportunity, the varroa mite dies after about 5 days. Unlike adult or fertilised females, adult males and immature stages are unable to feed after the emergence of the parasitised young bee; they therefore die very quickly. Adult females have a life expectancy of about 2½ to 3½ months in the presence of brood during the warm season; in winter, without brood, they are in a strictly phoretic phase (with no possibility of reproduction) and can survive for more than 6 months by feeding on the fat body of winter bees, which can be compared to unemployed nurse bees.