scholarly journals Evaluation of Two Commonly Used Field Tests to Assess Varroa destructor Infestation on Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Colonies

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4458
Author(s):  
Marco Pietropaoli ◽  
Ivana Tlak Gajger ◽  
Cecilia Costa ◽  
Dariusz Gerula ◽  
Jerzy Wilde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Selection Research ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Crucial Part ◽  
Varroa Control

Assessment of colony infestation by Varroa destructor is a crucial part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) applied to beekeeping. Natural mite fall, quantified by counting the mites on sticky sheets, is considered a reference method to estimate varroa infestation level in honey bee colonies. However, in recent years, alternative methods that can be used in field conditions have been investigated. In this paper, we report the results of the evaluation of two different methods to estimate the levels of varroa infestation. The experiment involved 151 honey bee colonies in nine apiaries of four countries (Algeria, Croatia, Italy, Poland). After the main honey flow, we compared the 10-day natural mite fall and the powdered sugar roll methods with the varroa population in each colony. According to our results, the powdered sugar roll method could be suggested to beekeepers as a suitable IPM tool for varroa control, while natural mite fall represents a more accurate method that could be adopted for selection/research purposes.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Apiwarol applied by electric smoker for control of Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (02) ◽  
pp. 6199-2019
Author(s):  
JAKUB GĄBKA ◽  
WOJCIECH KOTLICKI ◽  
ZBIGNIEW KAMIŃSKI ◽  
BARBARA ZAJDEL
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Varroa Control

The use of electric smoker for the application of Apiwarol is a practical method for Varroa destructor control in honey bee colonies. However, according to some reports this method may decrease the efficacy of the drug. The aim of this study was to compare Varroa control in colonies treated by the electric smoker Wakont and in the traditional method. Twenty colonies were investigated. They were fumigated four times every four days. The electric smoker was used in ten colonies and in another ten colonies the tablets were smoked inside the beehives on the bottom board. Bottom traps were inserted in hives to collect and count dead Varroa. A day after the last fumigation treatment, a sugar roll test was applied to assess the number of mites left on bees. There were no statistically significant differences in the Varroa fall during the treatments and in the number of mites left on bees after the treatments between these two groups. We did not ascertain a decreasing of the effectiveness of Apiwarol after application by using the electric smoker.

scholarly journals Winter Survival of Individual Honey Bees and Honey Bee Colonies Depends on Level of Varroa destructor Infestation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e36285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coby van Dooremalen ◽  
Lonne Gerritsen ◽  
Bram Cornelissen ◽  
Jozef J. M. van der Steen ◽  
Frank van Langevelde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Bee Colonies

scholarly journals The effect of the queen's age on the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) burden of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

2018 ◽  
pp. 83-87
Author(s):  
Marianna Takács ◽  
János Oláh
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Brood Chamber ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Mite Mortality

An apiary trial was conducted in 2016 August to October in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Nyírmada to evaluate the influence of queen’s age on the Varroa destructor-burden in the treatment colonies. Sixty colonies of bees belonging to the subspecies Apis mellifera carnica pannonica in Hunor loading hives (with 10 frames in the brood chamber/deep super) were used. The colonies were treated with amitraz and the organophosphate pesticide coumaphos active ingredients. The amitraz treatment includes 6 weeks. The coumaphos treatment with Destructor 3.2% can be used for both diagnosis and treatment of Varroasis. For diagnosis, one treatment is sufficient. For control, two treatments at an interval of seven days are required. The colonies were grouped by the age of the queen: 20 colonies with one-year-old, 20 colonies with two-year-old and 20 colonies with three-year-old queen. The mite mortality of different groups was compared. The number of fallen mites was counted at the white bottom boards. The examination of spring growth of honey bee colonies has become necessary due to the judgement of efficiency of closing treatment. The data was recorded seven times between 16th March 2017 and 19th May 2017. Data on fallen mites were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post-Hoc Tukey-test. Statistical analysis was performed using the software of IBM SPSS (version 21.). During the first two weeks after treatments, the number of fallen mites was significantly higher in the older queen’s colonies (Year 2014). The total mite mortality after amitraz treatment in the younger queen’s colonies was lower (P<0.05) compared to the three-year-old queen’s colonies. According to Takács and Oláh (2016) although the mitemortality tendency, after the coumaphos (closing) treatment in colonies which have Year 2014 queen showed the highest rate, considering the mite-burden the colonies belongs to the average infected category. The colonial maintenance ability of three-year-old queen cannot be judged based on the influencing effect on the mite-burden. The importance of the replacement of the queen was judged by the combined effect of several factors. During the spring-growth study (16th March–19th May) was experienced in the three-year-old queen’s colonies the number of brood frames significantly lower compared to the one- and two-year-old queen’s colonies. In the study of 17th April and 19th May each of the three queen-year-groups were varied. Therefore in the beekeeping season at different times were determined the colonial maintenance ability of queens by more factors: efficiency of closing treatment in early spring, the spring-growth of bee colonies, the time of population shift (in current study, this time was identical in each queen-year), honey production (from black locust).

scholarly journals Overt Infection with Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV) in Two Honey Bee Colonies

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Julia Dittes ◽  
Marc O. Schäfer ◽  
Heike Aupperle-Lellbach ◽  
Christoph K. W. Mülling ◽  
Ilka U. Emmerich
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Queen Replacement ◽  
Colony Loss ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Varroa Control ◽  
Paralysis Virus ◽  
Nosema Infection ◽  
Worker Bee

Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV), a widespread honey bee RNA virus, causes massive worker bee losses, mostly in strong colonies. Two different syndromes, with paralysis, ataxia and flight incapacity on one hand and black hairless individuals with shortened abdomens on the other, can affect a colony simultaneously. This case report presents two Apis mellifera carnica colonies with symptoms of paralysis and hairless black syndrome in 2019. Via RT-PCR, a highly positive result for CBPV was detected in both samples. Further problems, such as a Nosema infection and Varroa infestation, were present in these colonies. Therapy methods were applied to colony 1 comprising queen replacement, shook swarm method and Varroa control, whereas colony 2 was asphyxiated after queen loss and colony weakening. After therapy, colony 1 was wintered without symptoms. Beekeeping and sanitary measures can save a CBPV-infected colony, while further complications result in total colony loss.

scholarly journals Comparative testing of different methods for evaluation of Varroa destructor infestation of honey bee colonies

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
Nikolay D. Dobrynin ◽  
Mario Colombo ◽  
Francesca Romana Eördegh
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Comparative Testing ◽  
In Vivo Evaluation ◽  
Bee Colonies

Different methods for evaluation of the degree of Varroa destructor infestation of honey bee colonies were tested. The methods using in vivo evaluation were the most sparing for the bees but less precise. The methods using evaluation with the killing of the bees or brood were the most precise but less sparing for bees.

Control of the mite Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Wallner ◽  
Ingemar Fries
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Bee Colonies

scholarly journals Population growth of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee colonies is affected by the number of foragers with mites

2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman ◽  
Fabiana Ahumada ◽  
Victor Zazueta ◽  
Mona Chambers ◽  
Geoffrey Hidalgo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Bee Colonies
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