Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
2
Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iranes
3
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction: The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman) is one of the most important and destructive parasites of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), which causes irreparable damage to the beekeeping industry. The reduction of protein concentration and hemolymph volume depends on the number of mites feeding on the pupa. The mite is also a vector of some honey bee viruses such as Kashmir honey bee virus (KBV), Sac-brood virus (SBV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), acute paralysis virus Israeli (IAPV) and Deformed wing virus (DWV). Using chemical drugs is the most common way to fight against ticks. Today, it is known that these drugs have not only created a kind of resistance in the mite, which accumulates in honey, beeswax, and other beehive products and enters the human food cycle besides reducing the quality and nutritional value of honey, but they also harm the human body.
Materials and methods: This research is aimed at controlling the Varroa mite population by comparing the effectiveness of fluvalinate chemical substance and paper towels impregnated with oxalic acid on the percentage of mites, the number of pupae, the number of total births, the amount of pollen and honey production in the form of a replication plan in time with three treatment and four repetitions were performed. The treatments included the control (without the use of mite killers), the treatment of paper towels impregnated with oxalic acid and glycerin, the treatment of the mite killer tape containing fluvalinate, which was conducted in three periods of 26 days to check the number of pupae, the total number of births, the amount of pollen and honey production and in four periods of 18 days, the treatments were studied to evaluate the percentage of aphids. First, he chose two to three frames where the pupae are about to leave or have just left the cell. Then we shake the frame on a pan and pour a glass with a capacity of 300 bees from inside the pan into a plastic bottle that contains 100 cc or more of alcohol and immediately close the lid of the bottle. Then, the fallen mites were counted. Finally, the number of counted mites is divided by the number of bees to get the contamination percentage. Suppose there is no infestation in the colony. In that case, the mite should be given artificially along with the frame from the hive whose percentage of mite is known to the mite-free colony. Then, a sample was taken from the colony after a week for better mite distribution inside the colony.
Results and discussion: The treatments were studied in three time periods with 26-day intervals. The results showed no significant difference in the number of mites in the treatments in different periods, but in the third period, the highest percentage of mites was related to the oxalic acid treatment, which had a significant difference from the control treatment (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the treatments regarding the number of pupae, the total number of births and honey production. However, the difference between different periods was significant (P<0.05), and these values were in the first period from the rest of the periods. It has been more and has decreased in the following periods. On August 17th and September 14th, the highest pollen reserves were observed; on July 22nd, the lowest pollen reserves were observed, significantly different (P<0.05). The oxalic acid strip may help to maintain sufficient acid concentration inside the colonies for a long time. In addition, combining glycerin with oxalic acid can help keep the drug longer in the hive and thus the mites (including those emerging from the brood cells). The significance of the difference between the treatments at different times is because the bee genotype, temperature changes, the amount of nectar, and the amount and composition of pollen are very important factors that affect the amount of pupa. The birth rate of fluvalinate anti-mite strip treatment compared to the control treatment led to a 9.7% decrease in the birth rate. One of the reasons for the difference in reproduction within the treatment in different periods can be pointed to the empty cells for the queen to lay eggs. Considering that the normal temperature range of the colony is 33 to 36 degrees and the outside temperature of the colony was 36 to 42 degrees in August, we can point to the role of heat stress in the birth rate.
Conclusion: From this experiment, it can be concluded that natural mite killers such as oxalic acid can be a suitable substitute for chemical substances that do not negatively affect the amount of pupa, pollen and honey. Considering that the mite-repelling property of paper towels containing glycerine and acid oxalic has been increasing compared to fluvalinate tape. On the other hand, glycerin maintains the mite-repelling properties of paper towels for up to three months; so paper towels containing glycerin and acid oxalic can be used for severe mite killing if paper towel is kept in the honey bee hive.
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