We report six different field trials testing the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae,an entomopathogenic fungus,against varroa mites in honey bee hives.Varroa mites are parasitic on honey bees and cause serious damage to Apis mellifera colonies.Several control methods are available for varroa mites,none are very effective,so new,more effective methods are being sought.Varroa has previously been shown to be highly susceptible to M.anisopliae infections,and in our first two field trials,we found some efficacy from spore applications.However,in subsequent field trials,we were not able to obtain any varroa control, despite attempting several different application methods, two different strains of the fungus, and testing in different climates and during different phenological states of the honey bee colony. We conclude that microbial control of varroa using fungi is not likely to be effective unless some way is found to prolong the survival of the spores (or other infective units) in the hive environment.