2000, Number 4
Vet Mex 2000; 31 (4)
Honey production of treated and untreated honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies against the mite Varroa Jacobsoni Oudemans in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Arechavaleta VME, Guzmán NE
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Language: English/Spanish
References: 9
Page: 379-382
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ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to record the honey production of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) infested with the mite Varroa jacobsoni Oud., and that of colonies treated with fluvalinate. An apiary with 91 colonies was established. Each colony received a new, young, and mated queen. Queens were obtained from seven different queen breeding operations throughout Mexico. Colonies were infested with an equal number of mites, and were managed in a similar way until their honey crop was harvested. A group of 33 colonies was treated with the miticide fluvalinate (Apistan®), whereas the control group of 58 colonies did not receive any treatment against the mite. Honey yield and level of infestation of each of the colonies were measured at the end of the blossom season. Colonies of the treated group produced significantly more honey (65.5%), and were significantly less infested than the colonies of the untreated group (t = 3.32; gl = 89; p ‹ 0.01 for honey production; t = 6.33; gl = 89; p ‹ 0.01, for infestation levels). Results suggest that colonies infested with Varroa jacobsoni should be treated with miticides, meanwhile other control methods are developed. This is the first study which suggests that Varroa jacobsoni damages honey production in Mexico.REFERENCES