Field evaluation of neem and Canola oil for the selective control of the honey bee (Hymenoptera : Apidae) mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Acari : Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari : Tarsonemidae)
Ap. Melathopoulos et al., Field evaluation of neem and Canola oil for the selective control of the honey bee (Hymenoptera : Apidae) mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Acari : Varroidae) and Acarapis woodi (Acari : Tarsonemidae), J ECON ENT, 93(3), 2000, pp. 559-567
Neem oil, neem extract (neem-aza), and canola oil were evaluated for the ma
nagement of the honey bee mite parasites Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans) and Ac
arapis woodi (Rennie) in field experiments. Spraying neem oil on bees was m
ore effective at controlling V. jacobsoni than feeding oil in a sucrose-bas
ed matrix (patty),feeding neem-aza in syrup, or spraying canola oil. Neem o
il sprays also protected susceptible bees from A. woodi infestation. Only n
eem oil provided V. jacobsoni control comparable to the known varroacide fo
rmic acid, but it was not as effective as the synthetic product Apistan (ta
u-fluvalinate). Neem oil was effective only when sprayed six times at 4-d i
ntervals and not when applied three times at 8-d intervals. Neem oil spray
treatments had no effect on adult honey bee populations, but treatments red
uced the amount of sealed brood in colonies by 50% and caused queen loss at
higher doses. Taken together, the results suggest that neem and canola oil
show some promise for managing honey bee parasitic mites, but the negative
effects of treatments to colonies and the lower efficacy against V. jacobs
oni compared with synthetic acaricides may limit their usefulness to beekee
pers.