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1 October 2020 Evaluation of Dry and Wet Formulations of Oxalic Acid, Thymol, and Oregano Oil for Varroa Mite (Acari: Varroidae) Control in Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies
Qodratollah Sabahi, Nuria Morfin, Berna Emsen, Hanan A. Gashout, Paul G. Kelly, Stephanie Otto, A. Rod Merrill, Ernesto Guzman-Novoa
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Abstract

The efficacy and safety of dry and wet formulations of three nonsynthetic compounds, oxalic acid (OA), thymol (T), and oregano oil (OO), for the control of Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman infestations in honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) colonies were determined. The treatments were OA in dust, OA diluted in glycerin solvent embedded in a towel, T in dust,T in glycerin solvent and towel, OO in dry microcapsules, OO in glycerin solvent and towel, and the control. The treatments were applied weekly for 4 wk during the fall season. The rates of acaricide efficacy, weekly mite fall, bee mortality, colony survivorship, and strength, were determined for each of the treatments. All formulations, with the exemption of OO microcapsules, were effective at controlling infestations of V. destructor. The most effective formulations were T dust (96.6%), T glycerin (92.4%), and OA glycerin (79%). More than 85% of the mites were killed during the first 2 wk of treatment withT formulations, compared to less than 30% for the OA glycerin formulation. The lowest efficacy rate was for OO microcapsules (21.3%), and the only treatment that significantly increased bee mortality was OA glycerin. The rates of winter colony survival and honey bee populations were related to the varroacidal efficacy of the formulations. The implications of these findings are discussed.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Qodratollah Sabahi, Nuria Morfin, Berna Emsen, Hanan A. Gashout, Paul G. Kelly, Stephanie Otto, A. Rod Merrill, and Ernesto Guzman-Novoa "Evaluation of Dry and Wet Formulations of Oxalic Acid, Thymol, and Oregano Oil for Varroa Mite (Acari: Varroidae) Control in Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies," Journal of Economic Entomology 113(6), 2588-2594, (1 October 2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa218
Received: 23 April 2020; Accepted: 18 August 2020; Published: 1 October 2020
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KEYWORDS
acaricide
formulation
honey bee
Varroa destructor
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