Resistance Issues in Varroa Mite Treatment

Varroa Mite Resistance Monitoring

Empirical Test
Apply the treatment agent to a honey bee colony with Varroa mites attached to the worker bees' thoracic dorsum. Place a monitoring sheet at the bottom of the hive to collect fallen mites. If you observe fewer than 30 to 50 dead mites after 24 hours, there may be some pesticide resistance.

Rigorous Test
Field Resistance Test: Collect about 300 adult bees that have visible Varroa mites on their thoracic dorsum. Collect them in a test container and then add the treatment agent. Assess mite mortality after 3 hours to determine resistance levels.

Dealing with Resistance Problems

Resistance is a natural phenomenon. Researchers have found that stopping the use of a specific treatment rapidly declines the population of resistant bee mites. After several seasons, you might reintroduce the same agent within a rotational integrated pest management (IPM) approach.

Right now, the main method of delaying the development of resistance is by using different treatments in turn.