Effectiveness of oxalic acid in varroatosis in the apiaries of Tyumen Region, Russia
Abstract
A.N. Domatsky, T.F. Domatskaya
The mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman, 2000) is an obligate parasite of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. The pathogenic agent of the disease lives in a bee colony all year round, feeding on the hemolymph of larvae, pupae and adult insects, causing weakening and death of bee colonies, if therapeutic measures are not carried out. Ectoparasite is a vector of many pathogens of bacterial, viral and fungal infections, by giving rise to mixed diseases of bee colonies. Medicines used for treatment of bees in varroatosis are quite effective and allow to reduce the number of ectoparasite within their colonies. It was, however, pointed out that the Varroa mite has been developing resistance to most acaricides comprising amitraz, coumaphos, fluvalinate, flumethrin as active substances, which also accumulate in bee products, therefore, in many countries of the world, formic and oxalic acids are studied and proposed to control varroatosis. A study was made of the effectiveness of oxalic acid against varroatosis in the late autumn period on 35 bee colonies from two apiaries in the South of Tyumen Region. Broodless colonies were treated one time with a water-sugar solution (1:1) containing 3.2% of the drug by trickling bees into the bee spaces in the amount of 5 ml per bee space. It has been established that as a result of treatment, the number of Varroa mites has decreased in experimental colonies by 89.1 ± 1.9% (85.6-92.3%, apiary No.1)and 87.1 ± 2.2% (85.4-89.5%, apiary No.2) respectively. The maximum death of ectoparasites in experimental colonies in both apiaries was observed during the first two days after treatment. In the control groups (apiary No.1), mite mortality during the observation period corresponded to 10.1 ± 0.9% and 10.5 ± 0.7%, respectively, in apiary No.2-11.7 ± 1.1%. For more objective data on the drug, further research is needed on the effectiveness of different concentrations of oxalic acid, their effect on the physiological state of bee colonies, bees overwintering and the residues in bee products.
Keywords: Honey bees; Apis mellifera L; varroatosis; oxalic acid; effectiveness; Tyumen Region; Russia
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