The Usage Possibilities of Synthetic and Organic Acaricides for Varroa Control

The most important parasites of honeybees, Varroa spp., causes a rapid decrease in honey yield of colonies, weaken colony individuals, and causes bees to be more sensitive to other diseases in advanced stages of infection. To control this pest, many registrated chemical formulations are effective, but the intensive use of the same active substance can cause resistance to develop to these chemicals. The prophalatic use of these chemicals threatens the health of the bees as well as human health due to residue build-up in bee products. In recent years, research has focused on the use of botanical origin acaricides, because these are easily degraded and are considered to be natural substances that do not lead to chemical residue build-up in hives. In addition, there is less risk of pesticide resistance developing with the use of more natural alternatives. Some of the essential oil acids used for Varroa control are mainly thymol, oxalic acid, and thyme oil [(Thymus caucasicus) (Lamiaceae)], hyssop oil [(Hyssopus officinalis L.) (Lamiaceae)], lactic acid, caustic acid, clove oil [(Syzygium aromaticum L. (Myrtaceae)], eucalyptus oil [(Eucalyptus globulus) (Myrtaceae)] and mint [(Mentha piperita) (Lamiaceae)] extracts. Both extracts and mixtures of these have been used yielding successful results. In this review, we evolauate the effectiveness on Varroa control using synthetic chemicals and compare their control problems with alternative treatment methods. In addition, the possibilities of using botanical and organic substances to control Varroa mites as an alternative to improve honey bee health will also be discussed