New Bait Lures Varroa Mite

Deadly parasitic Varroa mite on the back of a honey bee. Scientists have developed a new bait that may help control varroa mites, the top pest of honeybees.
(Credit: Scott Bauer)

Varroa mites could literally be walking into a trap thanks to a new attractant developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Gainesville, Fla.

The 1/16-inch long parasite, Varroa destructor, is a top pest of honeybees nationwide, hindering the beneficial insects ability to pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, zucchini and many other flowering crops.

Entomologist Jeffery Pettis assesses the health of bee colonies at the ARS Bee Research Lab in Beltsville, Md.
(Credit: Photo by Peggy Greb)

At the ARS Chemistry Research Unit in Gainesville, research leader Peter Teal and colleagues are testing a bait-and-kill approach using sticky boards and natural chemical attractants called semiochemicals. In nature, Varroa mites rely on these semiochemicals to locate and then feed on the bloodlike hemolymph of both adult honeybees and their brood. Severe infestations can decimate an affected hive within several months and rob the beekeeper of profits from honey or pollinating services. But in this case, the mites encounter a more heady bouquet of honeybee odors that lure the parasites away from their intended hosts and onto the sticky boards, where they starve.

In preliminary tests, 35 to 50 percent of mites dropped off the bees when exposed to the attractants. Free-roving mites found the semiochemicals even more attractive, according to Teal. Moreover, the extra dose of semiochemicals wafting through hives didn?EUR??,,????'?????<

Adapted from materials provided by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.