A Honeybee `whodunnit?' Honeybees Died In Unprecedented Numbers Throughout The Northeast This Winter, Probably Due To Combination Of Factors, Including Killer Mites And Brutal Weather. Here's A Closer Look At The Culprits: Varroa Mites: This Pinhead-size Parasite Latches Onto A Bee's Body, Often In Groups Of A Half-dozen Or More, And Feeds Off Its Blood. Known Scientifically As Varroa Jacobsoni, This Mite Entered The United States Around 1987,