LOGAN — The honeybee is not only Utah's official insect, admired for its inspiring knack for hard work, but its home, the hive, is emblazoned as the state's symbol.

But now, Utah's beloved honeybee is under siege by an enemy that is threatening to wipe out beehives from not only Utah but from across the country.

The critter in question is officially known as Varroa jacobsoni Oudemans, or commonly known as the Varroa mite.

The tiny bloodsucking insect was first discovered in Java, an island in the Indian Ocean, more than 100 years ago. Since that time, it has infected beehives throughout Asia and hit the United States in the '80s via import of honeybee queens.

For years, beekeepers have controlled Varroa infestations using certain pesticides that do not harm bees. But scientists say new strains of mites, resistant to pesticides, have spread since winter — and with disastrous results.

Reports by entomologists nationwide show that over the past six months an estimated 50 percent of beehives in the United States were wiped out, spelling potential disaster for fruit and nut growers. In California, which is responsible for more than 80 percent of almond production worldwide, they are predicting a global almond shortage due to the bee loss.

"The bee industry is estimating as many as 50 percent of the hives were lost," of the some 2.6 million hives in the United States, said lead USDA bee entomologist Rosalind James at Utah State University. "Local beekeepers have reported between 35 percent to 70 percent hive loss" over the winter.

James and those involved in Utah's honey and fruit industries say the impact won't be felt until next spring, but they predict it could have a serious impact on Utah's agriculture, especially those farmers who depend on honeybees to pollinate crops. Because without pollination, fruits, melons and other crops simply don't grow.

The mite, a small cousin to the tick, is about the size of a pinhead. But for a bee, it's a huge parasite.

"It's like having a tick the size of a squirrel on you," James said.

The mite lays its eggs in the hive chamber where the honeybee larva is and feeds off the young bee until it hatches. The adult mite then attaches itself to the already weakened bee.

James said the mite can spread to many other hives within a season via male drones, who lack the hive loyalty of their sisters and will wander between different hives.

Darren Cox's family has tended bees and harvested honey for four generations. To put the last winter into perspective, Cox said he has lost about 50 percent of his bees to the Varroa mite over the past 10 years. "Last winter, we've lost another 50 percent," Cox said.