Bioactivity of propolis from different geographical origins on Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae)

Abstract

Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite that affects colonies of honey bee Apis mellifera worldwide. In the last years, substances of botanical origin have emerged as natural alternative acaricides to diminish the population levels of the mite. In the present work, the bioactivity of propolis from different geographical locations of Pampean region from Argentina on V. destructor was evaluated. Fourteen propolis samples were organoleptic and physicochemically characterized and, by means topical applications, their activity was tested on mites. All propolis had a homogeneous composition and the bioactivity levels against mites were comparable among the different propolis samples. The percentage of mites killed by the treatments ranged between 60.5% and 90% after 30 s of exposure. Thus, V. destructor was highly susceptible to propolis. Moreover, the mites remained anesthetized during the first hours after topical treatment. The results suggest that propolis from Argentinean pampas could be incorporated in honey bee colonies as acaricidal treatment by spraying.

Seasonal benefits of a natural propolis envelope to honey bee immunity and colony health

“…Although there is evidence that propolis has activity against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Damiani et al, 2010;Garedew et al, 2002), the bioactivity of propolis was observed only in laboratory conditions and we did not note any effect of the propolis on Varroa levels in the field. The lack of a significant difference in the levels of Varroa mites in May between control and propolis envelope colonies was expected as all colonies received miticide treatment before the winter.…”

Pharmacophagy and pharmacophory: mechanisms of self-medication and disease prevention in the honeybee colony (Apis mellifera)

“…In vivo assay Damiani et al 2010;Garedew et al 2002;Garedew et al 2003a Bee products for self-medication…”

“…Feeding propolis ethanolic extracts to wax moth (Galleria mellonella ) larvae in in vivo assays reduced wax moth larval growth, survival and heat production with increasing propolis concentration (Eischen and Dietz 1987;Garedew et al 2004a;Johnson et al 1994). Topical application of propolis extracts on V. destructor in vivo in the honeybee colony resulted in narcotic and lethal effects on the mite, and again interfered negatively with the larval heat production (Damiani et al 2010;Garedew et al 2002Garedew et al , 2003a. Indeed, Simone-Finstrom and Spivak (2010) suggested a propolis treatment to reduce mature female mite production at the colony level.…”

Effect of Propolis Oral Intake on Physiological Condition of Young Worker Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera L.

“…The sample was weighed, frozen, ground and stored at 4º C until use. For the experiment, a soft propolis extract was prepared according to Damiani et al (2010). A suspension was elaborated from the raw propolis and ethanol 70% at 1:9 (w/v) ratio, extracted at 60°C for 2 h, filtered and then evaporated at 40° C to obtain a soft extract free of ethanol.…”

“…Few works have studied the role played by these resins in the control and resistance to the diseases in honey bee colonies. Propolis has proven to be active against the main bee threats such as the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae (Antúnez et al, 2008;Bastos et al, 2008;Mihai et al, 2012), the fungus Ascosphaera apis (Wilson et al, 2015), and the mite Varroa destructor (Damiani et al, 2010). In colonies of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), the propolis added into the nest environment modified the expression of immunerelated genes in the exposed worker bees (Simone, Evans, & Spivak, 2009).…”