Technical Abstract: Honey bee colony losses have been in the news lately and the potential reasons for these losses have taken up much space in the news media. In order to clarify what role mites play in the current loss (2006-2007) of bee colonies, called Colony Collapse Disorder, a better understanding of what a mite is and how it functions is needed. This article, written for the Natural History Museum, identifies and explains what a mite is, where bee mites originated and what effects they have on a bee colony. It also outlines some of the work our laboratory is doing to alleviate this condition and help colonies prosper. The target audience is scientifically oriented, widely dispersed, and like to keep current on events in science that could impact them.