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Thresholds
&
IPM
Strategy
(For varroa mites)
IPM – Integrated Pest
Management
IPM
IPM is a decision-making process for control of
PESTS
• Pest identification
• Pest population assessment
• Economic evaluation*
• Timing of controls
* Is economic damage possible/imminent?
How to Achieve These
Goals
• Efficient sampling methods
• Valid decision guidelines
• Integrating a number of effective
tactics for an overall plan of attack
• Acceptance of higher mite levels
IPM in Practice
We MUST
- Understand bee/mite life
cycle
- be able to ID mite &
predict #
Varroa mite – a pest or vector?
“Resistant”
mites increase
with each
generation
Due to:
(1)selection
pressure
(2)Sub-optimal
exposure
Economic Threshold
80
Avoid exceeding economic
70 injury level
60
EIL
Apply controls
50
40 ET
30 Average
20 density
10
Time
Monitoring
1. ON BROOD
Impale capped drone pupae
with capping scratcher and
count number of cells
infested
= % brood infested
2
mites
3 Basic ways to Monitor Mites
3. Mites on adult bees
Sugar roll
Shake mites off nurse bees
using powdered sugar
= # mites/bee or
# mites/sample (~300
bees)
Sugar shake method
• Collecting a sample of adult bees (1/2 cup or
approximately 300) from the brood area and
then vigorously shaking the sample with
powdered sugar (for 1 minute) causes the
majority of mites (>90%) to dislodge from
their hosts. We can then shake out the mites
onto a light colored collecting dish and count
the mites – if we know the number of bees in
our sample we then know # Mites/Bee
Sampling Equipment
Powdered sugar
Powdered sugar
Measuring cup tablespoon
(marked at ½ cup)
tablespoon
White [mite]
counting dish
Wide mouth
quart Mason jar
w/ modified lid
(8 mesh screen)
Colony to sample
10-20% effective
Metarhizium (fungus)
Varroa Mites – Chemical control
Miticides - Apistan®; Checkmite+®; Amitraz®
Formic acid - Apicure®; Mite-Away II®
Other acids (acetic; oxalic)
Essential oils
Thymol Api Life VAR® [thymol + others]; ApiGuard®
Others -thyme, citronella, clove, camphor, eucalyptol
Semiochemicals – Nasanov gland pheromones +
others
Mineral/vegetable oil (FGMO), esters
Grease patties; oil machines, Sucrocide ®
Drying agents
Diatomaceous earth, talc, powdered sugar
For Additional Information
• See website http://MAAREC.cas.psu.edu
• http://www.odt.co.nz/news/farming/16001/fungus-may-be-
weapon-against-varroa-mites
• Local practices of SLU-EISSIF