Simple, efficient, green and safe bee mite control method

Abstract

The invention provides a simple, efficient, green and safe bee mite control method, and belongs to the technical field of biological agriculture. The bee mite control method provided by the invention comprises the following steps: 1) selecting a bee colony to be treated, and ensuring that a beehive has good air tightness; (2) opening the hive entrance, and inflating air from the inflation inlet for ventilation for 1-2.5 minutes; and (3) after the ventilation is finished, closing the beehive door and the inflation inlet, carrying out standing treatment for 6-12 hours, and maintaining the oxygen content in the beehive at 4-12%. According to the method, the purpose of preventing and treating bee mites can be achieved only by regulating and controlling the gas environment in the beehive, chemical agents do not need to be applied, and queen bee deduction and seed breaking are not needed. The method is remarkable in control effect, simple, efficient, green and safe. According to the method, normal activity and production efficiency of bees are not affected, so that bee population safety and bee product benefits are guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to biological agriculture, and in particular to a simple, efficient, green and safe method for preventing and controlling bee mites. Background Art

[0002] Varroa mites are an important limiting factor affecting the health of honey bees, seriously endangering the reproduction and growth of bee colonies. Their harm is hidden and difficult to prevent and control. Varroa mites are the bee pests that pose the greatest threat to the world's beekeeping industry. They are also called varroa mites, and their scientific name is Varroa destructor. Varroa destructor reproduces in the capping caps. When the larvae are about to cap, they drill into the nest cells and parasitize on the bee larvae. They then lay eggs in the nest cells to breed the next generation of Varroa mites, and cause abnormal development of bee larvae and pupae. Varroa destructor can also shorten the lifespan of bees, reduce their collecting ability, and reduce the successful mating rate of drones. In addition, Varroa destructor can spread a variety of bee viral diseases. Compared with a single viral infection, the interaction between Varroa mites, bee viruses and bees will cause more serious harm to the bee colonies. Therefore, in bee colonies severely affected by mites, a large number of bee larvae and pupae die, the newly emerged bees are incomplete and often have defects, and the strength of the bee colony is rapidly weakened, causing serious losses to the bee colony or even the destruction of the entire bee colony, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of bees, seriously affecting the healthy development of the beekeeping industry.

[0003] At present, in bee breeding, chemical methods have long been relied on to control harmful mites, such as chemical agents such as amitraz, fluvalinate, and coumaphos, as well as organic acid agents such as formic acid and oxalic acid. However, although traditional chemical agents have a certain mite-killing effect, they will have an adverse effect on the sustainable development of healthy bee breeding and the quality and safety of bee products. For example, ① the queen needs to be deducted during operation, which curbs the healthy development of the bee colony. ② Chemical agents will increase the drug resistance of bee mites. ③ Chemical agents have certain safety hazards to the health of the bee colony. ④ There will be chemical agents such as acaricides in bee products. And ⑤ chemical control methods are cumbersome, time-consuming and labor-intensive. ⑥ Other methods such as sound waves and high temperatures are used to control bee mites, but the control effect is poor. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a safe, efficient, and green control method that has no effect on the health of the bee population and the quality of bee products to ensure the health of the bee colony and the sustainable development of the beekeeping industry. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple, efficient, green and safe method for controlling bee mites, which can achieve the control of bee mites without interfering with the normal activities of bees, thereby ensuring the safety of bees and the breeding and production efficiency of bee colonies.

[0005] The present invention provides a method for preventing and controlling bee mites, comprising the following steps:

[0006] 1) Select the bee colonies and beehives to be treated, and ensure that the beehives have good air tightness;

[0007] 2) Open the hive entrance and fill the hive with gas through the inflation port for ventilation.

[0008] 3) After the ventilation is completed, close the hive entrance and the inflation port and let it stand still.

[0009] Preferably, the number of combs in the beehive described in step 1 is 3 - 6 combs / hive, and the density of bees on the comb is 2500 - 3000 bees / comb.

[0010] Powdered sugar is scattered at the bottom of the beehive, and a separation gauze is placed above the powdered sugar.

[0011] Preferably, the gas described in step 2 is a mixed gas composed of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

[0012] Preferably, the volume ratio of carbon dioxide in the mixed gas is 0 - 10%.

[0013] Preferably, the inflation flow rate during ventilation in step 2 is 20 - 50 L / min, and the ventilation time is 1 - 2.5 min.

[0014] Preferably, the oxygen concentration decrease rate during ventilation in step 2 is 6 - 10% / min.

[0015] Preferably, the standing time in step 3 is 6 - 12 h.

[0016] Preferably, the oxygen concentration during standing in step 3 is 4 - 17%, and the oxygen concentration volatility ≤ 8% / h;

[0017] The duration of the oxygen concentration being 4 - 12% during standing is at least 6 h. Preferably, the pests in the beehive include Varroa destructor, Tropilaelaps clareae, Acarapis woodi, Galleria mellonella, and Aethina tumida.

[0018] Preferably, the prevention and control are carried out after the bees return to the hive.

[0019] The prevention and control method provided by the present invention uses nitrogen and carbon dioxide to ventilate the beehive, and at the same time ensures that the oxygen concentration and volatility in the beehive are maintained within a specific range during the standing process. By synergistically regulating multiple controlled atmosphere conditions, the environment in the beehive is in a critical situation where it can neither interfere with the activities of bees nor effectively remove varroa mites. Thus, it is possible to achieve the removal of varroa mites in the beehive without applying chemical agents or separating the queen bee from the brood, and on the basis of ensuring the safety of bees and the reproduction of the bee colony, the prevention and control effect is remarkable.

[0020] The method of the present invention only needs to be processed twice a year, namely before overwintering and before spring breeding. It can not only enable the bee colony to develop in a green and healthy manner, but also ensure that the bee colony is free from the infestation of varroa mites. Compared with the traditional chemical control, this method not only has excellent acaricidal effect, but also has the following advantages: ① It is simple and fast to operate. ② It can save about 50% of the cost. ③ It is harmless to the health of the bee colony. ④ There is no need to confine the queen bee and interrupt brood rearing, which does not affect the development of the bee colony. ⑤ There is no quality and safety hazard to bee products. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the beehive of the present invention (wherein, 1 is the inflation hole; 2 is the isolation screen; 3 is the hive entrance; 4 is the beehive cover);

[0022] Figure 2 It is a curve graph showing the change of the oxygen concentration in the beehive with time during the static process in Example 1;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a physical picture of the varroa mite dropping effect at the bottom of the beehive after acaricidal treatment in Example 1;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a curve graph showing the change of the oxygen concentration in the beehive with time during the static process in Example 2;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a curve graph showing the change of the oxygen concentration in the beehive with time during the static process in Example 3. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0026] The technical solutions provided by the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments, but they should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of the present invention.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] Select adult worker bees carrying parasitic varroa mites in the honeycomb. Select 100 adult worker bees parasitized by varroa mites (a total of 100 varroa mites are parasitized) and mix them into a healthy varroa mite-free unsealed brood comb as the brood comb to be treated. Among them, the brood comb to be treated includes 4 combs, and the density of bees per comb is 2500 - 3000, and the total number of bees is about 12000. Select an airtight varroa mite-free beehive (such as Figure 1 ), add powdered sugar and isolation screen at the bottom of the beehive. Put the 4 combs into the beehive, cover the screen cover, cover the foam plastic cloth on the screen cover, and finally cover the beehive cover.

[0029] Fill nitrogen into the beehive from the inflation port at a filling flow rate of 30 L / min for air exchange for 2 minutes, and the oxygen concentration in the beehive decreases at a rate of about 8% / min.

[0030] Block the air inlet with a rubber stopper, close the hive entrance, and let it stand still, then start timing. Record the change of oxygen concentration in the beehive over time, as Figure 2 shown.

[0031] After standing still for 12 h, open the hive entrance, take out the combs, collect the dead bees and the varroa mites that have fallen under the isolation net, and calculate the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate. The physical picture of the mite - falling effect at the bottom of the beehive is as Figure 3 shown.

[0032] As Figure 2 can be seen, during the standing - still process, the oxygen concentration in the beehive always remains between 4% and 8%, and the volatility of the oxygen concentration ≤ is 4% / h, and the duration when the oxygen concentration is between 4% and 12% is 12 h.

[0033] Example 2

[0034] Using the same method as in Example 1, fill with nitrogen for ventilation and let it stand still. The change of oxygen concentration in the beehive over time is as Figure 4 shown. After standing still for 12 h, open the hive entrance, take out the combs, collect the dead bees and the varroa mites that have fallen under the isolation net, and calculate the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate.

[0035] As Figure 4 can be seen, during the standing - still process, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 4% and 13%, the volatility of the oxygen concentration ≤ 8% / h, and the duration when the oxygen concentration is between 4% and 12% is about 10 h.

[0036] Example 3

[0037] Using the same method as in Example 1, fill with nitrogen for ventilation and let it stand still. The change of oxygen concentration in the beehive over time is as Figure 5 shown. The difference is that the ventilation flow rate is 30 L / min from the air inlet, and the ventilation time is 1.8 min. After standing still for 12 h, open the hive entrance, take out the combs, collect the dead bees and the varroa mites that have fallen under the isolation net, and calculate the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate.

[0038] As Figure 5 can be seen, during the standing - still process, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 5% and 17%, the volatility of the oxygen concentration ≤ 4% / h, and the duration when the oxygen concentration is between 4% and 12% is about 6 h.

[0039] Example 4

[0040] Using the same method as in Example 1, nitrogen was filled for air exchange and static treatment. The differences are as follows: the filling gas flow rate is 30 L / min, and the air exchange time is 1.5 min. During the static treatment, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 8% and 16%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 8% / h, where the duration of the oxygen concentration between 4% and 12% is about 4 h. After 12 h of static treatment, the hive door was opened, the honeycombs were taken out, the dead bees and the varroa mites falling under the isolation net were collected, and the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate were calculated.

[0041] Example 5

[0042] Using the same method as in Example 1, nitrogen was filled for air exchange and static treatment. The differences are as follows: the filling gas flow rate is 20 L / min, the air exchange time is 2.5 min, and the oxygen concentration decline rate in the beehive is about 5.6% / min. During the static treatment, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 6% and 16%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 8% / h, where the duration of the oxygen concentration between 4% and 12% is about 6 h. After 12 h of static treatment, the hive door was opened, the honeycombs were taken out, the dead bees and the varroa mites falling under the isolation net were collected, and the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate were calculated.

[0043] Example 6

[0044] Using the same method as in Example 1, nitrogen was filled for air exchange and static treatment. The differences are as follows: the filling gas flow rate is 60 L / min, the air exchange time is 1 min, and the oxygen concentration decline rate in the beehive is about 11% / min. During the static treatment, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 4% and 15%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 6% / h, where the duration of the oxygen concentration between 4% and 12% is about 9 h. After 12 h of static treatment, the hive door was opened, the honeycombs were taken out, the dead bees and the varroa mites falling under the isolation net were collected, and the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate were calculated.

[0045] Example 7

[0046] Using the same method as in Example 1, the differences are as follows: a mixed gas with a carbon dioxide volume ratio of 10% was filled for air exchange and static treatment, the filling gas flow rate is 30 L / min, the air exchange time is 2 min, and the oxygen concentration decline rate in the beehive is about 8% / min. During the static treatment, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remains between 4% and 15%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 6% / h, where the duration of the oxygen concentration between 4% and 12% is about 9 h. After 12 h of static treatment, the hive door was opened, the honeycombs were taken out, the dead bees and the varroa mites falling under the isolation net were collected, and the bee mortality rate and the acarid removal rate were calculated.

[0047] Comparative Example 1

[0048] The same method as in Example 1 was adopted, nitrogen was filled for air replacement and static treatment. The differences are as follows: the filling gas flow rate was 30 L / min, the air replacement time was 2 min, the hive entrance was not completely closed during static treatment. During the static treatment process, the oxygen concentration in the beehive remained between 5% and 20%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 10% / h. Among them, the duration when the oxygen concentration was between 4% and 12% was about 4 h. After 12 h of static treatment, the hive entrance was opened, the honeycombs were taken out, the dead bees and the varroa mites that fell under the isolation net were collected, and the bee mortality rate and the mite removal rate were calculated.

[0049] Comparative Example 2

[0050] The same method as in Example 1 was adopted, nitrogen was filled for air replacement and static treatment. The differences are as follows: the filling gas flow rate was 30 L / min, the air replacement time was 2 min, the hive entrance was sealed with plastic wrap during static treatment. During the static treatment process, due to the hive entrance being sealed with plastic wrap, the bees could not perform gas exchange inside and outside the beehive by flapping their wings. As the oxygen was consumed, the oxygen concentration dropped below 4%, and the bees gradually entered a paralyzed state. The continuous sealing led to a large number of bee deaths, and the experiment lost its meaning.

[0051] The mite removal rates and bee mortality rates of the above Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1 were counted, and the specific results are shown in Table 1.

[0052] Table 1 Mite removal rates and bee mortality rates of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1

[0053]

[0054]

[0055] As can be seen from Table 1, by adopting the method of the present invention, a mixed gas composed of carbon dioxide and nitrogen was introduced into the beehive for air replacement treatment for 2 min at a flow rate lower than 50 L / min. During the static treatment process, the oxygen concentration was always maintained between 4% and 12%, and the oxygen concentration volatility rate ≤ 4% / h for 12 h. It can not only make the mite control rate reach 97%, but also ensure that it does not interfere with the normal activities of the bees, thereby ensuring the safety of the bees and the breeding and production efficiency of the bee colony.

[0056] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can still be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A simple, efficient, green and safe method for controlling varroa mites, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: 1) Select the bee colony and beehive to be processed, and ensure that the beehive has good airtightness; 2) Open the hive entrance and fill in gas through the inflation port for ventilation; 3) After the ventilation is completed, close the hive entrance and inflation port for static treatment.

2. The method for controlling Varroa destructor according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 1), the number of combs in the beehive is 3 - 6 combs / hive, and the density of bees on the comb is 2,500 - 3,000 bees / comb; Powdered sugar is scattered at the bottom of the beehive, and a separation gauze is placed above the powdered sugar.

3. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas in step 2) is a mixed gas composed of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

4. The method for controlling varroa mites according to claim 3, wherein, The volume ratio of carbon dioxide in the mixed gas is 0 - 10%.

5. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, wherein When ventilating in step 2), the inflation flow rate is 20 - 50 L / min, and the ventilation time is 1 - 2.5 min.

6. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, When ventilating in step 2), the oxygen concentration decline rate is 6 - 10% / min.

7. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, The static time in step 3) is 6 - 12 h.

8. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, When static in step 3), the oxygen concentration is 4 - 17%, and the oxygen concentration volatility ≤ 8% / h; The duration when the oxygen concentration is 4 - 12% during static, that is, the effective duration is at least 6 h.

9. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pests in the beehive include Varroa destructor, Tropilaelaps clareae, Acarapis woodi, Galleria mellonella, and Aethina tumida.

10. The method for preventing and controlling varroa mites according to claim 1, characterized in that, Prevention and control are carried out after the bees return to the hive.

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