Abstract
Varroosis induced by Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman represents the most pathogenic and destructive disease affecting the western honey bee, Apis mellifera. In this study, we investigated the acaricidal activity against the Varroa mite using essential oils (EOs) from the aerial parts of four autochthonous Algerian herbal species, namely Artemisia herba alba, Artemisia campestris, Artemisia judaica and Ruta montana. EOs were obtained by means of hydrodistillation and their composition was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The toxicity of the selected EOs toward V. destructor and A. mellifera adult honey bees was evaluated using the complete exposure method. The results indicate the predominance of davanone (66.9%) in A. herba alba, β-pinene (19.5%) in A. campestris, piperitone (68.7%) in A. judaica and 2-undecanone (70.1%) in R. montana EOs. Interestingly, the LC50 values coupled to bee mortality rates revealed that all tested oils exhibited significant acaricidal efficiency with selectivity ratio (SR) values of 10.77, 8.78, 5.62 and 3.73 for A. campestris, A. judaica, A. herba alba, and R. montana, respectively. These values were better than that of thymol (SR = 3.65), the positive control. These findings suggest that these EOs could be used as plant-derived veterinary acaricides to control varroosis in field conditions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
