Stinging Nettle vs Varroa Mite

I made a spontaneous Stinging Nettle harvest this week, making the most of all that fresh spring growth.

Not only do I love the medicinal and nutritional properties and uses of fresh Nettle, but it's also the host plant for the Admiral butterfly, and I enjoy watching the constant stream of Admirals flittering around the garden.

But here's something I didn't know about this humble wild plant!

Someone mentioned in a comment on one of my recent posts that Stinging Nettle might help protect honeybees from Varroa mites. It caught my attention, so I did a little digging and discovered some fascinating scientific research published in 2025.

And it's particularly interesting because Varroa mites are one of the biggest threats facing honeybees worldwide.

These tiny parasitic mites attach themselves to honeybees, feed on their fat body tissue, weaken their immune systems and spread destructive viruses. They can devastate entire colonies and are a major concern for beekeepers.

So, could one of our common wild weeds hold some potential in helping tackle this problem?

The study, conducted in Egypt, investigated two different ways of using Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) to control Varroa mites.

The first involved spraying the bees with a specially prepared ethanol-based extract of nettle leaves.

The second involved burning dried nettle in a bee smoker and introducing the smoke into the hive.

Both treatments produced significant reductions in Varroa mite infestations.

After three weeks, the nettle extract reduced mite infestations on adult honeybees by almost 89%, while nettle smoke achieved a reduction of around 76%.

Even more interestingly, when researchers examined the sealed brood cells, where Varroa mites reproduce, nettle smoke achieved an impressive 95% reduction.

The researchers also compared these treatments with formic acid, a commonly used Varroa treatment. Formic acid achieved complete mite reduction in their experiment, but was associated with higher honeybee mortality and increased markers of oxidative stress.

The nettle treatments appeared considerably gentler on the bees, with lower mortality and encouraging results for colony health.

Stinging Nettle is packed with biologically active compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and other plant chemicals with antioxidant and insecticidal properties.

The researchers used chemical analysis to identify 23 compounds in their nettle extract, several of which may contribute to its ability to affect Varroa mites.

What a cool example of how much potential there is in the plants growing around us, including those we so often dismiss as weeds.

Of course, this is still early research, based on a relatively small experiment involving 12 hives in Egypt. Further research is needed before nettle can be recommended as a reliable Varroa treatment or used as a replacement for established beekeeping practices.

But I love discovering research like this. A reminder just how useful the plants growing around us really are!

And meanwhile, I'll continue harvesting my spring Nettle for its wonderful nutritional and medicinal qualities, while leaving plenty in the garden for the butterflies!

If you'd like to learn more about identifying, harvesting and using Stinging Nettle, it's featured in my All Seasons Edible Weeds Foraging Guide.