How often can varroa mites reproduce in a drone cell compared to a worker cell?

Varroa mites have a higher reproductive rate when they infest drone cells compared to worker cells. This is primarily due to the longer developmental time that drone larvae require before they emerge as adult bees. Drone cells take approximately 24 days from egg to emergence, while worker cells take about 21 days.

The extended period that drone cells remain capped allows varroa mites to reproduce more frequently, as they can complete multiple cycles within the drone cell before the bee emerges. Mites can lay several eggs in the drone cell, usually resulting in a higher population of mites compared to what can be achieved in worker cells, where the timeframe for reproduction is shorter. Thus, the reproductive advantage that varroa mites gain by infesting drone cells leads to significantly more offspring than they could produce in worker cells.