Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>)
Essential oils and their components are generally known for their acaricidal effects and are used as an alternative to control the population of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> instead of synthetic acaricides. However, for many essential oils, the exact acaricidal effect against Varroa mite...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/11/1045 |
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| author | Marian Hýbl Andrea Bohatá Iva Rádsetoulalová Marek Kopecký Irena Hoštičková Alena Vaníčková Petr Mráz |
| author_facet | Marian Hýbl Andrea Bohatá Iva Rádsetoulalová Marek Kopecký Irena Hoštičková Alena Vaníčková Petr Mráz |
| author_sort | Marian Hýbl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Essential oils and their components are generally known for their acaricidal effects and are used as an alternative to control the population of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> instead of synthetic acaricides. However, for many essential oils, the exact acaricidal effect against Varroa mites, as well as the effect against honey bees, is not known. In this study, 30 different essential oils were screened by using a glass-vial residual bioassay. Essential oils showing varroacidal efficacy > 70% were tested by the complete exposure assay. A total of five bees and five mites were placed in the Petri dishes in five replications for each concentration of essential oil. Mite and bee mortality rates were assessed after 4, 24, 48, and 72 h. The LC<sub>50</sub> values and selectivity ratio (SR) were calculated. For essential oils with the best selectivity ratio, their main components were detected and quantified by GC-MS/MS. The results suggest that the most suitable oils are peppermint and manuka (SR > 9), followed by oregano, litsea (SR > 5), carrot, and cinnamon (SR > 4). Additionally, these oils showed a trend of the increased value of selective ratio over time. All these oils seem to be better than thymol (SR < 3.2), which is commonly used in beekeeping practice. However, the possible use of these essential oils has yet to be verified in beekeeping practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:24:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6d4e9856db244625ba9004bd5712ce0c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:24:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-6d4e9856db244625ba9004bd5712ce0c2023-11-22T23:47:38ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-11-011211104510.3390/insects12111045Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>)Marian Hýbl0Andrea Bohatá1Iva Rádsetoulalová2Marek Kopecký3Irena Hoštičková4Alena Vaníčková5Petr Mráz6Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Studentska 1668, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech RepublicFaculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Studentska 1668, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech RepublicFaculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech RepublicFaculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Studentska 1668, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech RepublicFaculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Studentska 1668, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech RepublicAromaterapeutická KH a.s., Kšice 11, 349 01 Stříbro, Czech RepublicFaculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Studentska 1668, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech RepublicEssential oils and their components are generally known for their acaricidal effects and are used as an alternative to control the population of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> instead of synthetic acaricides. However, for many essential oils, the exact acaricidal effect against Varroa mites, as well as the effect against honey bees, is not known. In this study, 30 different essential oils were screened by using a glass-vial residual bioassay. Essential oils showing varroacidal efficacy > 70% were tested by the complete exposure assay. A total of five bees and five mites were placed in the Petri dishes in five replications for each concentration of essential oil. Mite and bee mortality rates were assessed after 4, 24, 48, and 72 h. The LC<sub>50</sub> values and selectivity ratio (SR) were calculated. For essential oils with the best selectivity ratio, their main components were detected and quantified by GC-MS/MS. The results suggest that the most suitable oils are peppermint and manuka (SR > 9), followed by oregano, litsea (SR > 5), carrot, and cinnamon (SR > 4). Additionally, these oils showed a trend of the increased value of selective ratio over time. All these oils seem to be better than thymol (SR < 3.2), which is commonly used in beekeeping practice. However, the possible use of these essential oils has yet to be verified in beekeeping practice.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/11/1045acaricidal effectcomplete exposure bioassayhoney beescreeningVarroa mite |
| spellingShingle | Marian Hýbl Andrea Bohatá Iva Rádsetoulalová Marek Kopecký Irena Hoštičková Alena Vaníčková Petr Mráz Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) Insects acaricidal effect complete exposure bioassay honey bee screening Varroa mite |
| title | Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) |
| title_full | Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) |
| title_short | Evaluating the Efficacy of 30 Different Essential Oils against <i>Varroa destructor</i> and Honey Bee Workers (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) |
| title_sort | evaluating the efficacy of 30 different essential oils against i varroa destructor i and honey bee workers i apis mellifera i |
| topic | acaricidal effect complete exposure bioassay honey bee screening Varroa mite |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/11/1045 |
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