Different strategies to manage Varroa jacobsoni and Tropilaelaps mercedesae in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Apiculture in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is under significant pressure from emerging parasitic mites, Varroa jacobsoni and Tropilaelaps mercedesae. While numerous mite control products exist, beekeepers in Papua New Guinea have limited access and resources for these products and their effectiveness under local conditions is untested. Here we determined the effectiveness of two brood manipulation strategies - queen caging and queen removal - for managing V. jacobsoni and T. mercedesae in comparison to the chemical miticide Bayvarol(R). Our results found Bayvarol(R) was the most effective control strategy for V. jacobsoni, maintaining high efficacy (>90%) over four months with significantly reduced mean numbers of V. jacobsoni compared to untreated control hives. In contrast, mean numbers of T. mercedesae were significantly reduced by the brood manipulation strategies over two months, but not by Bayvarol(R) compared to the controls. These results highlight that a combination of different strategies is likely needed to effectively manage both mite pests in PNG. We discuss how these strategies could be optimised and adopted to achieve better mite management for PNG beekeepers.