Chelifers As Varroa Control Agents

摘要

Due to the use of pesticides in agriculture, but also due to Varroa mites, the pressure on bee colonies has steadily increased in the last decades. The application of organic acids against Varroa mites increases the pressure on the bees. The project tried to use chelifer cancroides as Varroa control agents and collected data on the number of fallen Varroa mites during eight months in 2017. It compared colonies in wooden hives equipped with chelifers with control colonies in wooden hives and in Styrofoam hives in 13 test stands around the city of Hanover, Germany. The number of fallen Varroa mites in the wooden hives with chelifers was found to be significantly lower than in the wooden hives without chelifers.