Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol
Honey bees face serious threats. These include the presence of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> mite in hives, which requires the use of acaricides to control. The constant recycling of old wax exacerbates the problem, and results in the accumulation of residues in the beeswax, which is a pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/7/593 |
| _version_ | 1797588921375260672 |
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| author | José Manuel Flores Alba Luna Antonio Rodríguez Fernández-Alba María Dolores Hernando |
| author_facet | José Manuel Flores Alba Luna Antonio Rodríguez Fernández-Alba María Dolores Hernando |
| author_sort | José Manuel Flores |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Honey bees face serious threats. These include the presence of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> mite in hives, which requires the use of acaricides to control. The constant recycling of old wax exacerbates the problem, and results in the accumulation of residues in the beeswax, which is a problem for the viability of the colony. The same happens with the accumulation of phytosanitary residues. In a previous study, we implemented an efficient wax decontamination method using a batch methanol extraction method. The present study evaluates the acceptance of the decontaminated wax by the bees for comb building, brood, honey and pollen containment. The results show a slight delay in the start of comb building and small changes were observed in the pharmacopoeia of the decontaminated wax compared to the original commercial wax. The slight delay in the acceptance of the decontaminated wax could be due to the loss of some components, such as honey residues, which usually appear in the wax. The addition of bee-attractive substances to the manufacturing process could help to mitigate the delay. The results suggest that the use of decontaminated wax is a good alternative to reduce the concentration of residues in hives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:58:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a209532852524835897047a1f0d304bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:58:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-a209532852524835897047a1f0d304bc2023-11-18T19:48:40ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502023-06-0114759310.3390/insects14070593Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with MethanolJosé Manuel Flores0Alba Luna1Antonio Rodríguez Fernández-Alba2María Dolores Hernando3Department of Zoology, University of Córdoba, Campus of Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, SpainDepartment of Environment and Agronomy, National Research Council—Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, CSIC-INIA, Crta. Coruña Km. 7.5, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, Alcala University, University Campus, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km 33.600 E-28871, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, SpainDepartment of Desertification and Geoecology, Arid Zones Experimental Station, EEZA-CSIC, Crta. de Sacramento s/n. La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120 Almería, SpainHoney bees face serious threats. These include the presence of the <i>Varroa destructor</i> mite in hives, which requires the use of acaricides to control. The constant recycling of old wax exacerbates the problem, and results in the accumulation of residues in the beeswax, which is a problem for the viability of the colony. The same happens with the accumulation of phytosanitary residues. In a previous study, we implemented an efficient wax decontamination method using a batch methanol extraction method. The present study evaluates the acceptance of the decontaminated wax by the bees for comb building, brood, honey and pollen containment. The results show a slight delay in the start of comb building and small changes were observed in the pharmacopoeia of the decontaminated wax compared to the original commercial wax. The slight delay in the acceptance of the decontaminated wax could be due to the loss of some components, such as honey residues, which usually appear in the wax. The addition of bee-attractive substances to the manufacturing process could help to mitigate the delay. The results suggest that the use of decontaminated wax is a good alternative to reduce the concentration of residues in hives.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/7/593beeswaxresiduesdecontaminationhoney combs<i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| spellingShingle | José Manuel Flores Alba Luna Antonio Rodríguez Fernández-Alba María Dolores Hernando Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol Insects beeswax residues decontamination honey combs <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title | Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol |
| title_full | Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol |
| title_fullStr | Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol |
| title_short | Acceptance by Honey Bees of Wax Decontaminated through an Extraction Process with Methanol |
| title_sort | acceptance by honey bees of wax decontaminated through an extraction process with methanol |
| topic | beeswax residues decontamination honey combs <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/7/593 |
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