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For any hobby or professional beekeeper there are a plethora of known pests and diseases that affect honey bees, including Varroa.
Fifty years ago there were few such pathogens, but today bees and bee products are shipped internationally on a large scale, which has enabled diseases to spread.
Dr Robert Owen has been a beekeeper for 20 years and did his PhD on the Varroa bee mite.
He has co-authored a book with two other scientists - Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck and Mark Stevenson called Honey Bee Pests and Diseases: A Complete Guide to Prevention and Management.
He talks with Kathryn Ryan.
