Experimental study demonstrates significant mite removal in honey bee colonies using powdered sugar dusting, suggesting a viable non-chemical management strategy.
SUMMARYWe developed a technique to remove varroa (Varroa destructor) from adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) using powdered sugar. Our technique requires isolating a colony's adult bee population in a detachable box prior to powdered sugar application. We designed a detachable ‘bee box’ that connects to the colony's entrance and is capable of holding the adult bee population. By applying a bee repellent, Bee Goreg, to a colony, we forced adult bees into the bee box where they were subsequently dusted with 225 g of powdered sugar. Adult honey bee populations treated in this manner dropped 76.7 ± 3.6% (n = 28) of their mites.
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Aliano et al. (2005) studied this question.
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