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Timing of acaracide treatments for control of low-level populations of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) and implications for colony performance of honey bees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

P. Gatien  and
R.W. Currie
P. Gatien
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2
R.W. Currie*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2
*
1 Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

The timing of acaracide treatments for control of low-level populations of Varroa destructor Anderson et Trueman has implications for colony performance of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Replicated colonies with low levels of V. destructor were left untreated, exposed to fluvalinate at each of two doses for 42 days, or exposed to three applications of formic acid, with the four treatments applied in either spring or fall. Varroa destructor densities were measured by alcohol wash and drop boards, and both gave similar estimates. Over the course of one season, the mean abundance of V. destructor increased from 0.002 to 0.11 mites per bee. Extended broodless periods during winter reduced the mean abundance of V. destructor by 28%, but mite mortality over winter was not high enough to prevent the need for treatment the following year. Apistan® was more effective than formic acid in both spring and fall treatments. Doses of one or two strips of Apistan® per colony were equally effective in spring or fall treatments. The mean abundance of V. destructor remained low throughout the season following spring treatment with either dose of Apistan®. Fall formic-acid treatments were more effective than spring treatments. Fluvalinate residues in samples of honey and wax collected from brood chambers and from honey supers were slightly higher in colonies treated with two strips of Apistan® than with one strip, but no detectible residue was found in extracted honey from 4500 commercial colonies treated in spring with Apistan® one strip per brood chamber for single or double storey hives. The levels of V. destructor in this study did not affect honey production or colony survival over winter.

Résumé

Le calendrier des traitements à l'acaricide dans la lutte contre des populations réduites de Varroa destructor Anderson et Trueman a des conséquences sur le fonctionnement de la colonie d'abeilles domestiques, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera : Apidae). Dans des expériences répétées, des colonies avec de faibles infestations de V. destructor n'ont reçu aucun traitement, ou bien elles ont été exposées au fluvalinate à l'une de deux doses pendant 42 jours, ou encore elles ont été traitées à l'acide formique; ces quatre traitements ont été réalisés au printemps et à l'automne. La densité des V. destructor a été déterminée par des lavages à l'alcool et des dénombrements sur cartons autocollants et les deux méthodes ont donné des estimations semblables. L'abondance moyenne des V. destructor augmente pendant la saison, de 0,002 à 0,11 acarien par l'abeille. La période étendue sans formation de couvain pendant l'hiver réduit l'abondance moyenne des V. destructor de 28 %, mais la mortalité des acariens pendant l'hiver est insuffisante pour annuler le traitement l'année suivante. L'Apistan® est plus efficace que l'acide formique, tant dans les traitements de printemps que dans ceux d'automne. Des doses d'une ou deux languettes d'Apistan® par colonie sont aussi efficaces au printemps qu'en automne. L'abondance moyenne des V. destructor reste faible pendant toute la saison après un traitement au printemps à l'une ou l'autre dose d'Apistan®. Les traitements d'automne à l'acide formique sont plus efficaces que les traitements de printemps. Les résidus de fluvalinate dans des échantillons de miel et de cire provenant du corps de la ruche et des hausses à miel sont légèrement plus élevés dans les colonies traitées avec deux languettes d'Apistan® plutôt qu'avec une seule; il n'y a pas de résidu décelable dans le miel extrait de 4500 colonies commerciales traitées au printemps à l'Apistan®, à raison d'une languette par corps de ruche, que la ruche ait 1 ou 2 étages. Le degré d'infestation de V. destructor dans notre étude n'affecte ni la production de miel, ni la survie de la colonie en hiver.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 135 , Issue 5 , October 2003 , pp. 749 - 763
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2003

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