Controlling Varroa Mites in the Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera

Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans) (= V. destructor) is a parasitic mite of honey bees Apis mellifera (L.), that has had a catastrophic effect on populations of managed and feral honey bee colonies, beekeepers and the beekeeping industry worldwide. Honey bee colony losses in the United States range between 40% and 80% annually. These losses are stressing the bee industry's ability to provide adequate pollination of agricultural crops. In this project we will develop digestible encapsulations filled with essential oils that when fed to the honey bees will kill or incapacitate the mites living on the backs of the bees and the same encapsulations when fed to the larvae of the colony will limit mite feeding in the reproductive cells, thereby reducing populations of the parasitic mites in the honey bee colonies.