Controlling Varora destructor in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies with limited acaricide application

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor has plagued honey bees (Apis mellifera) since its introduction to the United States. In the past decade, there has been an emphasis on non-chemical IPM control tactics for Varroa. Because the mites preferentially reproduce in drone brood (pupal male bees), I am developing a treatment strategy focusing on salvaging parasitized drones and strategically applying acaricidal treatments to control mite levels. I tested five colonies of honey bees in each of four treatment groups: 1) negative control (no treatment); 2) positive control (treatment with acaracide); 3) periodic removal of capped drone brood from four colonies to be concentrated and a fifth “sacrificial” colony (2 replicates). I found that the “sacrificial colony” treatment significantly reduced Varroa populations in compared to negative controls. These findings suggest that implementing acaricidal use only in colonies with concentrated drone populations serves to eliminate a large portion of the Varroa population while simultaneously retaining the benefits of having adult drones in the colony.