Authors: Calderone, Nicholas W.; Nasr, Medhat E.

Source: Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 92, Number 3, June 1999 , pp. 526-533(8)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

Abstract:

Formic acid and Apistan were compared as fall treatments for Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans), a parasitic mite of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. Treatment with Apistan resulted in an average mite mortality of 98%, whereas treatment with formic acid resulted in an average 56% mortality. Mortality was not correlated with the level of mite infestation for either treatment. The ratio of the coefficient of variation in mite mortality among colonies in the formic acid group to the coefficient of variation among colonies in the Apistan group was 43.28, indicating that Apistan is a more reliable control agent than the formulation of formic acid used in this experiment. Overall, only 63% of the 250-ml formic acid treatment evaporated during the 30-d treatment period, resulting in an average daily release of 5.26 g of formic acid, which is below that required for effective treatment. These results demonstrate that formic acid shows promise as an acaricide. However, considerable adjustments in the release characteristics of the delivery device must be made before it can be recommended as a useful control tool.

Keywords: Apis mellifera; Varroa jacobsoni; mite; formic acid

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1999-06-01

More about this publication?

• Journal of Economic Entomology is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The journal publishes articles on the economic significance of insects and is divided into the following sections: apiculture & social insects; arthropods in relation to plant disease; forum; insecticide resistance and resistance management; ecotoxicology; biological and microbial control; ecology and behavior; sampling and biostatistics; household and structural insects; medical entomology; molecular entomology; veterinary entomology; forest entomology; horticultural entomology; field and forage crops, and small grains; stored-product; commodity treatment and quarantine entomology; and plant resistance. In addition to research papers, Journal of Economic Entomology publishes Letters to the Editor, interpretive articles in a Forum section, Short Communications, Rapid Communications, and Book Reviews.
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