Contact Effect Contribution to the High Efficiency of Lithium Chloride Against the Mite Parasite of the Honey Bee

Self Cite

Varroosis is one of the most dangerous threats to the bee industry but means of its treatment are still unsatisfactory. Lithium-based anti-Varroa treatments may provide an alternative, as this trace element can be a natural component of honey and is well tolerated by adult bees. However, it can be toxic to larvae and its use in beekeeping practice is not yet well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of relevant application methods of acaricides used in beekeeping practice in brood-free conditions for lithium. Vaporisation proved to be an inefficient method of lithium treatment and killed only 9.9 ± 3.3% (mean ± SD) of mites in the hive. Lithium-impregnated paper strips showed moderate efficiency by killing 55.1 ± 26.2% of mites. The most effective way of applying lithium was the trickling method; different trickling treatments decreased the abundance of mites on average by 65 to 99.7%, depending on the applied dosage and the number of treatments. Repeated trickling treatments were more effective than single treatments, and they generally provided >90% efficiency. Experiments also proved that adding sugar to the trickling solution does not influence treatment efficiency. Thus, it is suggested that repeated and sugar-free trickling treatments with moderate lithium dosage could be the most rational methodology. Since lithium is not yet legalised in beekeeping practice, comprehensive studies are also needed to uncover the amount of lithium residue in bee products, depending on the treatment parameters.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Alternative Application Methods for Anti-Varroa Lithium Chloride Treatments

Kolics

Mátyás

et al. 2022

Self Cite

“…Ziegelmann et al [ 110 ] investigated its acaricidal impact by feeding honeybees and analysed their lifespan. This molecule, not yet on the market, showed efficient results against dispersal mites through oral and contact delivery methods [ 111 , 112 ]. However, the question arose about honeybee products potential contamination [ 113 ].…”

Section: Varroa Destructor Chemical and Semi-chemical Control Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Varroa destructor from the Laboratory to the Field: Control, Biocontrol and IPM Perspectives—A Review

Vilarem

Piou

Vogelweith³

et al. 2021

Varroadestructor is a real challenger for beekeepers and scientists: fragile out of the hive, tenacious inside a bee colony. From all the research done on the topic, we have learned that a better understanding of this organism in its relationship with the bee but also for itself is necessary. Its biology relies mostly on semiochemicals for reproduction, nutrition, or orientation. Many treatments have been developed over the years based on hard or soft acaricides or even on biocontrol techniques. To date, no real sustainable solution exists to reduce the pressure of the mite without creating resistances or harming honeybees. Consequently, the development of alternative disruptive tools against the parasitic life cycle remains open. It requires the combination of both laboratory and field results through a holistic approach based on health biomarkers. Here, we advocate for a more integrative vision of V. destructor research, where in vitro and field studies are more systematically compared and compiled. Therefore, after a brief state-of-the-art about the mite’s life cycle, we discuss what has been done and what can be done from the laboratory to the field against V. destructor through an integrative approach.

“…Raw sequences were first filtered for fragment length of a minimum of 50 base pairs and quality scores of ≥Q30 using Trimmomatic v.0.36 software [30] and were subsequently merged using Pear v.0.9.5 software [31]. Finally, sequences were clustered using Usearch v.11.0.667 software [32]. Each script was applied according to default settings.…”

Section: Bioinformatic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

An Alternative, High Throughput Method to Identify Csd Alleles of the Honey Bee

Kolics

Parrag

Házi³

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Applying instrumental insemination in closely related honey bee colonies often leads to frequent lethality of offspring causing colony collapse. This is due to the peculiarities of honey bee reproductive biology, where the complementary sex determination (csd) gene drives sex determination within a haplodiploid system. Diploid drones containing homozygous genotypes are lethal. Tracking of csd alleles using molecular markers prevents this unwanted event in closed breeding programs. Our approach described here is based on high throughput sequencing (HTS) that provides more data than traditional molecular techniques and is capable of analysing sources containing multiple alleles, including diploid individuals as the bee queen. The approach combines HTS technique and clipping wings as a minimally invasive method to detect the complementary sex determiner (csd) alleles directly from honey bee queens. Furthermore, it might also be suitable for screening alleles of honey harvested from hives of a closed breeding facility. Data on alleles of the csd gene from different honey bee subspecies are provided. It might contribute to future databases that could potentially be used to track the origin of honey. With the help of tracking csd alleles, more focused crossings will be possible, which could in turn accelerate honey bee breeding programmes targeting increase tolerance against varroosis as well.