Reducing Varroa mite populations in honey bee colonies is theoretically possible if adult bees are isolated from their hives and dusted with powdered sugar. We conducted a preliminary experiment in Lincoln, NE on November 13, 2002 to test this hypothesis. Each colony was dismantled, frame by frame, and shaken into a screened box equivalent in size to a deep hive body. After containment, the bees were dusted with 225 grams of powdered sugar for five minutes and then released. Honey bee colonies treated in this manner had a 32 ± 5.61 % decrease in mite population on average. A separate experiment was conducted in order to identify the factors that contribute to mite fall. Three factors were considered, each with two levels. 1. Box design (single vs. double screen). 2. Agitation (agitation vs. no agitation). 3. Bee density (high vs. low). There was significant box design by bee density interaction (p=.0465). Given high density, single screen design yielded 33.69 ± 7.84 % more mites than double screen. Agitation had no effect on mite fall (p=.1049). We conclude that dusting adult bees with powdered sugar is most effective in a solid bottom container. Further, we believe increased crowdedness of bees results in greater mite fall. These results suggest that the addition of a solid bottom to our screened box will produce significantly greater mite fall and increase Varroa control.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Species 2: Acari Varroidae Varroa destructor (varroa mite)
Keywords: powdered sugar, mite control
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