Chemotherapy against Varroa jacobsoni:
Efficiency and side effects
T. BEN HAMIDA
INSTITUT DE LA RECHERCHE VETERINAIRE
DE TUNISIE (IRVT)
20 RUE JEBEL LAKHDHAR, LA RABTA
1006 TUNIS
TUNISIA
SUMMARY - Chemical treatments have enabled a highly effective control
of varroosis preventing great
losses of colonies and allowing restoration of highly damaged apiaries to their former condition. Many
acaricides of various chemical groups have been tested in several countries for their efficacy against
Varroa jacobsoni. A range of substances have proved successful and have been approved for control
in the infested countries with the appropriate modes
of application. A reduction in the effectiveness of
a widely used synthetic pyrethroid product, reported for the first time in Italy has been shown to be a
consequence of the spread of Varroa drug resistant strains. This highlights the risk of basing control
strategies on a single product and more generally on chemical treatment alone. Besides the required
control effect, some of the drugs have also negative effects. The most important secondary effects
include undesired effects on adult bees and brood and especially contamination
of the beehive
products. Among the hive products, the beeswax, as an effective residue store, has the central role
in
the residue accumulation process.
Key words: Chemotherapy, Varroa jacobsoni, acaricides, resistance, side effects, residues.
RESUME - "La chimiothérapie contre Varroa jacobsoni: efficacité
et effets econdaires",
La
chimiothérapie appliquée dans la lutte contre la varroose a permis d'éviter d'énormes pertes en colonies
et de restaurer l'état sanitaire des ruchers endommagés. Plusieurs molécules acaricides de différents
groupes chimiques ont été testées pour leur efficacité sur Varroa jacobsoni. Certaines
de ces
substances dont l'efficacité varroa