The Effectiveness of Smoking Against the Varroa destructor Mite Using Certain Medicinal Plants in Honey Bee Hives (Apis mellifera)

Abstract

One of the most deadly pests of honey bees (Apis mellifera) is the Varroa destructor mite. The study aims to test the effect of four medicinal plants: Sodom Apple Calotropis procera, Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus, Camphor Eucalyptus globulus, and Wormwood Artemisia vulgaris, as eco-friendly substances through smoking to combat Varroa mites. Plant leaf powders were used at 20 g/ hive by using a smoker at 8 puffs/ hive, because exposure to more can harm the beehive. Fallen and dead Varroa mites were collected after (2, 4 and 6) days of smoking for treatments, by replacing old mite counting trays with new ones. The highest mite loss rate was 47.11 mites/hive, which represents all mites dropped for exposure periods of (2, 4, and 6) days when fumigated with E. globulus, while it was 15 mites/hive in the control treatment. Decrease in the shedding rate was observed over time, reaching 70.24%, 58.82%, and 31.65% mite/treatment after 2, 4, and 6 days respectively. The infection rate of honeybee brood decreased to 8% after treatment compared to 59.66% before treatment in the case of E. globulus, and brood growth increased by between 4.94% and 23.33% after 21 days of exposure, in the control group and in the case of E. globulus, respectively. We can infer from the results the effectiveness of the method of smoking plants used in this study in reducing or limiting mite density in honey bee colonies.