Spider venom could be used as a weapon against the mite that kills bees
Scientists have discovered an unexpected way of combating one of the most dangerous enemies of honeybees — the Varroa destructor mite. This parasite lives on bees, weakens them and helps viruses to spread, which can lead to the death of entire bee colonies.
A new study has shown that the venom of certain spiders contains substances which can kill Varroa mites without harming the bees themselves in laboratory tests.
The study has been published in the journal npj Drug Discovery.
However, this is not yet a ready-to-use treatment for apiaries. Scientists have identified promising molecules that still need to be tested in infested hives and under real-world conditions.
What is the Varroa mite?
The Varroa destructor mite is a tiny parasite, but it poses a huge problem for beekeeping. It attaches itself to bees, feeds on their tissues and weakens the insects.
What is particularly dangerous is that Varroa mites can transmit viruses. If the mite population in a hive becomes too large, the colony weakens and may die.
Currently, special chemical agents – acaricides – are used to combat Varroa. However, the mites develop resistance over time, so older treatments may become less effective. Furthermore, chemical agents can leave residues in the wax and bee products.
What the scientists did
Researchers tested 50 arthropod venoms – mainly from spiders and scorpions. They applied these venoms directly to the Varroa mites and observed the results.
The results were striking: 78 per cent of the venoms tested caused 100 per cent mortality in the mites within 24 hours. The scientists then selected the two most promising spider venoms and began to study them in greater detail.
Ultimately, they isolated two active substances — peptides. One was obtained from the venom of the Tasmanian cave spider, Hickmania troglodytes, and the other from the venom of the giant Japanese funnel-web spider, Gigathele gigas. These peptides were named Ht1a and Gg1a.
Why this is important
The key finding is that these two peptides killed the mites but did not reduce the survival rate of honeybees in laboratory tests. In other words, they acted selectively: they were harmful to the parasite but not to the host.
This is particularly important because the Varroa mite spends almost all its time directly on the bee. Therefore, a treatment against the mite must be strong enough to kill the parasite without harming the bee.
If further research confirms these findings, such peptides could form the basis of a new type of hive treatment.
In simple terms: what they found
The scientists are not suggesting that hives be filled with spider venom.
They have identified individual small molecules – peptides – within spider venom. It is these molecules that could form the basis of a future treatment.
In other words, this is not about the venom itself as a ready-made agent, but about specific substances that can be studied, purified, dosed and tested individually.
Why this could be more environmentally friendly
The authors note that such peptides are fully biodegradable. This means that, in the long term, they could become a gentler alternative to certain chemical miticides.
But for now, this is merely a prospect. To assess its actual safety, it is necessary to test how the substance behaves in the hive, whether it accumulates in the wax and honey, and how it affects the larvae, the queen, worker bees and other insects.
What else needs to be tested
The next stage involves testing on bees that are actually infested with mites, and then in real hives.
A laboratory test is only the first step. In a real apiary, things are much more complex: temperature, humidity, the behaviour of the bees, the number of mites, the method of application and the duration of the substance’s effect can all significantly influence the result.
It is therefore too early to say that ‘spider venom will save the bees’.
Background
Bees are important for more than just honey. They pollinate plants on which agriculture and food production depend. Therefore, diseases and parasites affecting honeybees are a problem not only for beekeepers but also for food security.
The Varroa mite remains one of the main causes of colony losses in many countries. Scientists are therefore seeking new ways to combat it: methods that are more precise, less toxic and to which the mites cannot adapt so quickly.
Source
Study: Volker Herzig et al., “Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application”, npj Drug Discovery, 2026.