Significance: Varroa destructorcauses considerable damage to honey bees and subsequently the field of apiculture through just one process: feeding. For five decades, we have believed that these mites consume hemolymph like a tick consumes blood, and thatVarroacause harm primarily by vectoring viruses. Our work shows that they cause damage more directly.Varroaexternally digest and consume fat body tissue rather than blood. These findings explain the failure of some previous attempts at developing effectively targeted treatment strategies forVarroacontrol. Furthermore, it provides some explanation for the diverse array of debilitating pathologies associated withVarroathat were unexplained by hemolymph removal alone. Our work provides a path forward for the development of novel treatment strategies forVarroa.

The family Baculoviridae comprises large viruses with circular dsDNA genomes ranging from 80 to 180 kbp. The virions consist of enveloped, rod-shaped nucleocapsids and are embedded in distinctive occlusion bodies measuring 0.15–5 µm. The occlusion bodies consist of a matrix composed of a single viral protein expressed at high levels during infection. Members of this family infect exclusively larvae of the insect orders Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Baculoviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/baculoviridae.

Brevipalpus phoenicis sensu stricto (Geijskes) is redescribed and the species diagnosis established. Two former synonyms of B. phoenicis sensu lato, B. yothersi Baker and B. papayensis Baker, are resurrected and redescribed and their species diagnoses established. Brevipalpus hondurani Evans is also redescribed and diagnosed. Four new species, previously misidentified as B. phoenicis sensu lato or B. obovatus Donnadieu, are described—B. azores sp. nov., B. feresi sp. nov., B. ferraguti sp. nov., and B. tucuman sp. nov. Four new junior synonyms of B. yothersi are listed—Brevipalpus amicus Chaudhri and B. recula Chaudhri (new synonymies), and B. mcbridei Baker and B. deleoni Pritchard and Baker (misidentifications). A key is provided to separate these species. New morphological characters significant for species separation are presented and discussed.