Honey bee mite. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the underside of a Varroa sp. mite from a honey bee. Varroa are parasitic mites that attack honey bees (Apis sp.), causing varroatosis and spreading other diseases. They attach to the body of the bee and weaken it by sucking haemolymph, the insect's 'blood'. Magnification: x65, when printed 10 centimetres high.