The use of oxalic acid for the treatment bee colonies at varroatosis

Abstract

Varroatosis is a contagious disease of the bee colonies caused by the Varroa destructor mite. The economic damage from the disease is compounded by the fact that the tick is a carrier of bacterial and viral infections of honey bees. In the absence of therapeutic measures, bee colonies die within two years. An analysis of modern means of combating varroatosis, used in domestic beekeeping, shows, that a significant part of them is represented by fluvalinate and amitrase-based drugs, which poses a threat to the pollution of beekeeping products with acaricide residues, and also contributes to the development of ectoparasite resistance to most veterinary drugs, created using the above chemical substances. In European apiaries organic acids (lactic, formic, oxalic, etc.), are increasingly used for treating bees with varroatosis. Oxalic acid is used in many industries, including medicine and pharmacology. In this regard, a study was made of the effectiveness of oxalic acid against varroatosis in the late autumn period on 15 bee colonies from apiary 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 on 87.1±2.2% (85.4-89.5%) . The maximum death of ectoparasites in experimental colonies was observed during the first two days after treatment. In the control group mite mortality during the observation period corresponded to 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 productivity.