Mites:
The number one biotic stressor of honey bee colonies globally is the mite named Varroa destructor, or Varroa. Varroa are ectoparasitic, meaning they feed on the outsides and ingest the bee’s fat bodies.
Adult female Varroa feed and reproduce on honey bee pupae. In other words, Varroa must go into cells of brood in order to reproduce. The adult female mites will also feed on adult bees while being transported throughout the colony. Varroa are known vectors of several serious bee viruses. Colonies unable to self-manage Varroa will succumb to a Varroa infestations. That is why they are considered a significant threat. While there are a number of control strategies that can limit the impact of Varroa, many of the strategies are labor intensive, and only moderately effective at best.
Tracheal mites are the second mite infesting honey bee colonies.Tracheal mites live in the thoracic tracheal system of the infected bees. This system is the bee's breathing tubes found in the thorax. The impacts of tracheal mites can be mitigated easily with resistant bee stock, that's stocks of bees that are tolerant to tracheal mites, or by using something as simple as a sugar or vegetable oil patty.
Insects:
Insects that are known to be pests of honey bee colonies include the wax moth and the small hive beetle.
Wax moths are the larger of the two wax moth species known to infest honey bee hives. The caterpillars from these moths, often referred to by beekeepers as wax moth larvae, tunnel through wax combs, feeding on these combs, and reducing the wax to a webby mass of frass, which is insect feces and debris.The wax moth itself does not normally take out a honey bee colony but overcomes honey bee colony defenses if the honey bee colony is stressed due to something else. So when a colony is weak because of queenlessness or Varroa etc, then the greater wax moth can become a significant problem. The only remedy for greater wax moths in living colonies is to keep those colonies strong and healthy so that they can address them all themselves. Greater wax moths can be a problem in stored combs so many beekeepers use temperatures such as refrigeration and freezing to control wax moths in stored equipment and stored combs.
Another insect - the small hive beetle larvae, (the worm or grub stage of beetle development), damages colonies by feeding on honey bee brood, stored pollen, and stored nectar or honey. These beetles also require the colonies to be somewhat stressed before they're able to overrun them. In most cases, a strong honey bee colony can control small hive beetles, making hive management techniques on the part of the beekeeper important.