Evaluation of Honey Bee Safety and Acaricidal Efficacy of Oxalic Acid

Oh, D.G.; Choi, Y.S.; Kim, D.W.; Kim, K.W.; Kim, K.M.; Akongte, P.N.; Kim, J.K.; Lee, C.H.; Park, B.S.; Kim, S.B.; Jo, Y.Y.

Evaluation of Honey Bee Safety and Acaricidal Efficacy of Oxalic Acid

2023

This study investigated the safety of oxalic acid (natural acaricide), on honeybee ( Apis mellifera) colonies and its acaricidal effects on honeybee pest mites (Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps mercedesae). To determine the safety and acaricidal effects of oxalic acid, the impacts of oxalic acid was examined using different treatment methods (i) fumigation and (ii) dripping (trickling), and concentrations (0.7, 3, and 6%). For the fumigation, 1 g of oxalic acid was treated inside the beehive, and the experimental groups were divided by blocking the entrance of the beehive for different durations (1, 5, 10, and 15 min.). For the dripping, oxalic acid-sugar solutions with different concentrations (0.7, 3, and 6%) were prepared and applied to the beehive to measure safety and efficacy of oxalic acid. The safety of honeybees with oxalic acid treatment showed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups for both the fumigation and dripping methods, and had no significant impact on the honeybee colonies. The acaricidal effect of oxalic acid treatment was higher against V. destructor in all experimental groups compared to the control group in the fumigation method. In the dripping method, only the experimental groups with 3 and 6% concentrations showed significant differences and demonstrated acaricidal effects compared to the control group. For T. mercedesae, the low number of detected individuals resulted in no significant effects. Both treatment methods did not show any significant acaricidal effects on V. destructor and T. mercedesae, which exist inside the capped brood cells.

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