Potential of organic compounds to control Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, on honey bee, Apis mellifera L. colonies was evaluated at Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, México (28°26′53″N, 106°49′46″W). Treatments were 1.16, 1.33, and 1.50 ml of oregano pure oil (carvacrol 60%); a mixture of oregano oil (7, 8, and 9% carvacrol) with canola oil (v/v); and as a biological control agent, native strains of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae (10⁸ CFU/g). The efficacy of organic compounds and biological agents was compared with that of amitraz (1%) to eliminate mites from infested colonies of honey bees. In two assays, amitraz was significantly (P < 0.01) the most effective acaricide, with a mean efficacy of 97% in eliminating V. destructor from infested honey bee colonies. However, the most effective organic compound after amitraz in killing V. destructor was 1.16 and 1.5 ml of oregano pure oil, with efficacies of 57 to 74% (P < 0.01). Results suggested that oregano pure oil should be considered a viable alternative to synthetic acaricides for controlling V. destructor in honey bee colonies. The amount of carvacrol in honey produced by bees treated with oregano essential oil did not exceed the taste detection threshold of 0.1 ppm, and therefore, did not pose a risk of taste modification of natural honey.