Revisiting Powdered Sugar For Varroa Control On Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L)

摘要

Prior to our study, when an experiment required Varroa free colonies, we would dust bees with powder sugar as a means of removing mites. Dusting with powder sugar was also gaining popularity in the beekeeping arena as a method of controlling Varroa. In 2009, researchers in Florida conducted a study which examined the efficacy of powder sugar and found it did not help in controlling Varroa. However, even though the study was sound, powder sugar only dislodges phoretic mites and not ones inside the cell. Therefore, for powder sugar to be effective it would have to be applied during broodless periods, which Florida rarely experiences due to its warmer climate. So we decided to design an experiment that would test the efficacy of powdered sugar when applied during broodless times verses when brood was present.