Comparing the efficacy of alcohol wash and powdered sugar methods to dislodge the Varroa mite from the body of the adult honey bee

Document Type : Short communication, Persian

Authors

1 Division of Honey Bee, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran

2 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Islamic Azad University of Khorasgan Branch, Isfahan, Iran

10.61186/jesi.44.4.9

Abstract

Varroa destructor is the main health problem in the honey bee colonies. Regular monitoring of the Varroa load plays an essential role in determining the right time for treatment of the colony and evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment method. This research aimed at comparative evaluation of the efficacy of alcohol wash and powdered sugar methods to dislodge the Varroa mite from the adult bees' body. Our findings revealed that wash the bees with 75% ethanol dislodged 81.14±3.56% of the mites from their body. In contrast, powdered sugar could dislodge only 54.53±3.56% of the mites from the body of the bees. Therefore, alcohol wash method is more accurate for determining the infestation intensity of the adult honey bees to the Varroa mite.

Graphical Abstract

Comparing the efficacy of alcohol wash and powdered sugar methods to dislodge the Varroa mite from the body of the adult honey bee

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© 2024 by Author(s), Published by the Entomological Society of Iran

This Work is Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International Public License

References

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Journal of Entomological Society of Iran
Volume 44, Issue 4
August 2024
Pages 471-476

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