Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are important ecological and agricultural pollinators. In the United States, beekeepers experience substantial annual colony losses, largely driven by parasites such as the mite Varroa destructor. In new research, scientists studied a hybrid honeybee population in Southern California, a genetic mix of Western European, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and African lineages. They found that these honeybees can suppress Varroa...
