Are male varroa mites parasitic?

Male varroa mites are not considered parasitic because they do not engage in the same feeding behaviors as their female counterparts. Males primarily serve a role in reproduction and do not attach to host bees to feed as females do. The female varroa mites are the ones that invade honeybee colonies and feed on the bees' bodily fluids, which can negatively impact the health of the host.

In the case of the male varroa mites, they remain in the brood cells where they are born, mating with female mites before they emerge as adults. Because of this, they do not exhibit the direct parasitic behavior of feeding on the honeybees, which is characteristic of parasitism. Instead, they rely on the females to carry on the parasitic relationship with the host bees. This distinction emphasizes the different roles played by male and female varroa mites in the context of their relationship with honeybees.