Thanks to those who've sent me info on bees and mites - I've enclosed some
excerpts of the responses that I thought might be of interest to the group....
P. Dines
P. S. I'm still open to any other comments people might have on my original
email. A number of people agreed that pesticides can hurt bees, especially wild
bees, but I'm still curious if anyone's researched a possible link between that
and these mite infestations (by weakening bees or killing these mites' natural
or potential predators, either here or in their original home), or examined the
use/importation of natural predators as a possible solution to these mites. I'd
also be interested in: what company/ies make Apistan/fluvalinate; and any
natural alternatives... Thanks!
--- FORWARD ---
From: Bob MacGregor, INTERNET:RDMACGREGOR@gov.pe.ca
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
Date: Wed, Dec 4, 1996, 6:23 AM
Subject: World's Beeswax Contamination Increasing -Reply
...
By the way, to the best of my knowledge, the honeybees on our little Island are
mite-free. Because of our harsh winters, it used to be routine to import New
Zealand bees to start new colonies each year. We no longer import any bees and
our colony numbers now exceed what they were ten years ago, when the upsurge in
mite infestations elsewhere first started restricting sources of new colonies.
As our beekeepers hone their skills at overwintering honeybees, we have the
potential to become a source (albeit a limited one) of disease-free mated
queens.
So, the decimation of North American honeybee colonies is not ubiquitous...
BOB
for further info:
http://198.167.60.35/agriculture/documents/beenewlt.html
----
<I asked him for more info on his island and its bees, and he replied this:>
... I now live in Prince Edward Island, an idyllic spot (except for the next few
frozen months) just north of Nova Scotia. Although there are many native bee
species here, I don't think any of them are honeybees. We are fortunate that
one of our (honey) beekeepers is did Masters work on bee genetics; he is working
to develop improved winter survival characteristics by collecting queen
cells from wild (feral, actually) honeybee colonies which have survived
an Island winter (I have one such colony in a dead spruce snag on my property).
...
===
From: "Malcolm (Tom) Sanford, Florida Extension Apiculturist",
INTERNET:mts@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
Date: Tue, Dec 3, 1996, 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: Questions re: article fouling the collective nest
...
Apistan is a trade name for a product which is a plastic strip
impregnated with an active ingredient called fluvalinate. Fluvalinate is
a synthetic prethroid toxic to both bees and mites. The formulation kills
the smaller-bodied mites and does not kill the bees outright. This has
been used effectively for several years with no measurable symptoms on
bees. Apistan is manufactured by Sandoz Agro, Inc. as I recall.
> 2) Are there natural alternatives? I thought I remembered hearing about
menthol or something being used...?
There is some information on the web concerning use of natural or
essential oils in varroa control, but the treatment is controversial.
Another alternative used effectively is formic acid in Canada and
Europe. Menthol is used to control another mite, the tracheal mite.
> 3) Do you know of any studies that examine why the varroa mites became such a
> problem in the first place? As I recall, they were an exotic (foreign) mite,
at least in the U.S. Is that true? If so, where do they come from? Do they
have no natural predators anywhere in the world?
The history of Varroa jacobsoni is well known. It was introduced as an
exotic pest onto Apis mellifera from a closely-related bee Apis cerana.
Apis mellifera, the European honey bee has no natural tolerance for this
mite; almost every infested colony is killed. In the U.S. and elsewhere
where Varroa is found, many wild honey bee colonies in trees, houses, etc.
have been killed. It is sort of like AIDS in humans in this sense..
...
===
From: Kenny W Bailey, INTERNET:kbailey@cumberla.ces.state.nc.us
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
Cc: kbailey@cumberla.ces.state.nc.us
Date: Wed, Dec 4, 1996, 8:29 AM
Subject: Re: World's Beeswax Contamination Increasing
...
there are two mites that are causing significant problems in
honey bees, the tracheal mite and the varroa mite. The tracheal mite is a very
small mite requiring a microscope to see it. It lives in the tracheal or
breathing tubes of the honey bee. It feeds on the body fluids of the honey bee,
from the inside of the trachea. We can use menthol to control the tracheal
mite. The honey bees breath the vapors in through the tracheal tubes and the
mites are exposed to the menthol.
The varroa mite is a much larger mite. It can be seen, on the body of the honey
bee, with the unaided eye. This mite feeds on the honey bees blood. At this
point in time, fluvalinate impregnated strips under the brand name "Apistan",
is the only labeled treatment in the U.S. for varroa mites. Menthol will not
control the varroa mite and at this time, there are no other proven methods for
controlling varroa mites, that I am aware of.
I'm going to limit my discussion, now, to the varroa mite because in my area of
North Carolina, it seems to be the most devestating of the two mites. I also
have first hand experience with losses of honey bee colonies from the varroa
mite. I lost nearly half of my hives to varroa mites this year, due to lack of
treatment. Several of our beekeepers have also given up on beekeeping because
of varroa mite.
The varroa mite is a native parasite of the Asian Honey Bee. The Asian honey
bee is a completely different species from our European Honey Bee. The varroa
mite can parasitize the Asian honey bee without killing its host. The European
honey bee was not exposed to the varroa mite until European honey bees were
taken to Asia and came in contact with the Asian honey bee. The varroa mite
jumped onto these European honey bees and became a parasite of the European
honey bee. The Asian honey bee and the varroa mite evolved together and have
had a parasitic relationship for a much longer time than the European honey
bees have been exposed to varroa mite. The European Honey bee cannot resist
these mites as the Asian honey bee does, therefore, the result of the
relationship between the varroa mite and the European honey bees are dead
European honey bee colonies.
To address the question about predators of these mites, keep in mind that the
European Honey Bee is not native to the United States nor are the varroa mites,
so the likelihood of there being natural predators of the varroa mite here in
the U.S. at this time, is very slim. There may be some natural predators of the
varroa mite in Asia, but someone else would have to answer that question.
Patricia, the varroa mite problem is a very serious one and it needs more
attention. The population of beekeepers in this world is very small, but the
entire world depends upon the honey bee for about one-third of its food supply,
through the pollination of crops. We need more research into this problem or we
are going to be in a lot of trouble. We need to find more and better ways of
controlling this pest.
...
===
From: Pesticide Watch, INTERNET:pestiwatch@igc.org
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
Date: Wed, Dec 4, 1996, 10:17 AM
Subject: Re: World's Beeswax Contamination Increasing
...
Apistan (active ingredient t-fluvalinate) is a pyrethroid. Tox Class 2. [PD
NOTE: Tox Category 1 is the most acutely harmful, 4 the least of those with
toxicity.]
...