THE VARROA MITE IS THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE PEST THREATENING HONEY BEE COLONIES. SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION FROM ASIA IN 1987, THIS INVASIVE SPECIES EMERGED AS THE MOST DETRIMENTAL PEST TO HONEY BEES, AND JUST AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR ROSE TO THE LEAD CONTRIBUTOR TO COLONY LOSS. NOVEL YET SUSTAINABLE METHODS OF VARROA CONTROL ARE ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO PRESERVE HIVE HEALTH AND REDUCE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COLONY LOSS. ONE WAY BEES NATURALLY COMBAT THIS INVASION IS VIA THE EVOLUTION OF COMPLEX HYGIENIC BEHAVIORS. THESE BEHAVIORS EXHIBITED BY INDIVIDUAL NURSE BEES WORK COLLECTIVELY AND FUNCTION AS AN IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR THE HIVE. HYGIENIC BEHAVIORS INVOLVE DETECTING DISEASED BROOD, UNCAPPING THE CELL THEN REMOVING THE PUPA FROM THE HIVE. HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR IS HERITABLE, WHICH HAS ENABLED SELECTION FOR BROOD REMOVAL, AND PRODUCTION OF HIGHLY HYGIENIC QUEEN LINES. BUT EVEN COLONIES REARED FROM HYGIENIC LINES SUCCUMB TO VARROA PARASITISM. TO WHAT EXTENT HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR CAN BE SHAPED BY THE ENVIRONMENT IS UNKNOWN, ALTHOUGH SOME EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THESE BEHAVIORS ARE AMPLIFIED DURING PEAK NECTAR FLOWS. THUS, NUTRITION MAY BE A MAJOR MISSING LINK TO HELP AMPLIFY HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR. EVEN THOUGH HONEY BEE NUTRITION HAS BEEN STUDIED FOR DECADES, WE ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (EFAS) TO HONEY BEE HEALTH. RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT EFAS IMPROVE OLFACTION IN HONEY BEES, AND OTHER LINES OF EVIDENCE SUPPORT HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR RELIES LARGELY ON OLFACTION OF NURSE BEES. THUS, WE TAKE AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO VARROA CONTROL IN JOINING THESE IDEAS; ENRICHING DIETS WITH EFAS TO STRENGTHEN OLFACTORY COGNITION AND HYGIENIC BEHAVIOR.