Document Type : Research Paper
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Abstract
Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman is considered as the most important external parasite of the European honey bee. Considering the distribution of the European honey bee throughout the world, this mite could cause many concerns among beekeepers and threaten the beekeeping industry. The aim of present research was to calculate the time it took to cause 50 percent of mortality (LT50) in Varroa mite and honey bee population after the commencement of exposure with essential oil of Mentha longifolia L. For this purpose, Varroa mites and honey bees were treated with four concentrations of the oil including 1.87, 2.5, 3.12 and 3.75 µl/l air in Petri dishes (800 ml). For each species, the corresponding mortality rate was measured once in every two hours without opening the Petri dish until the complete demise of subjected organisms. Results showed that calculated LT50 values of the oil on Varroa mite in concentrations of 1.87, 2.5, 3.12 and 3.75 µl/l air were 10.12, 8.11, 7.26 and 6.21, respectively. However, LC50 values of the oil on A. mellifera at the same concentrations were 19.83, 19.56, 15.72 and 13.68, respectively. These results represented a much more severe toxicity of M. longifolia oil against Varroa mite compared with the European honey bee. Therefore, adjustment of oil concentration and exposure time would be applicable for the management of Varroa mite in apiaries.
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