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Comparison of Two Diagnostic Techniques for the Apis mellifera Varroatosis: Strengths, Weaknesses and Impact on the Honeybee Health

Authors :
Roberto Bava
Fabio Castagna
Cristina Carresi
Antonio Cardamone
Giovanni Federico
Paola Roncada
Ernesto Palma
Vincenzo Musella
Domenico Britti
Source :
Veterinary Sciences, Vol 9, Iss 7, p 354 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Varroa destructor is the most dangerous pest that poses a threat to honey bee survival. In recent years, increasingly worrying phenomena of drug resistance have occurred to various active ingredients of pharmaceutical formulations used to control this parasitosis. Determining the level of infestation is essential to preventing the inappropriate use and abuse of veterinary medicines, and to choose the most appropriate time for treatment. This comparative study investigates the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of two field techniques for diagnosing V. destructor infestations in hives. The EasyCheck device (Véto-pharma) was used in two of its application modes, namely, the sugar roll test and carbon dioxide (CO2) injection. The experiments were conducted on 15 samples of 300 bees each taken from the same frame and checked for the presence of mites using standard and modified field techniques in both uncaged and caged queen hive conditions. The results demonstrate that the sugar roll technique is significantly more effective and safer than CO2 injection, allowing for a higher accuracy in diagnosing a V. destructor infestation. Furthermore, the evaluation of mites present on bees in brood block conditions has proven to be particularly reliable. Considering the number of mites on the filter of the device as an additional step helps to implement the diagnostic accuracy of the CO2 injection technique, however, not achieving the efficacy results of the sugar roll.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23067381
Volume :
9
Issue :
7
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Veterinary Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.1692ec4f76744851a194d26d3fa97888
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9070354