Location: Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research
Project Number: 6050-30500-001-018-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2026
End Date: Feb 28, 2027
Objective:
Over the last two decades, the beekeeping industry has suffered from high, unsustainable annual colony losses. These losses are due to a number of factors, but consistently the parasitic mite Varroa destructor tops the list of primary factors, either directly or indirectly influencing colony health and productivity. We propose to incorporate an approach used in other fields and develop a long-term effort that promotes control of Varroa nationally, supporting early adopters of new products and providing robust information that beekeepers can use to evaluate the utility of control methods in their own operation. The following main objectives will be addressed:
Objective 1: Demonstrate the utility of newly approved miticides that beekeepers can use in place of traditional amitraz based treatments
Objective 2: Evaluate the use of novel products that serve to restrict mite population growth as part of a robust IPM strategy
Objective 3: Explore the economics of Varroa management
Approach:
Each objective will be conducted in coordination with several commercial beekeeping operations across regions to ensure that results produce information that is directly relevant to the industry. This project will leverage the experience, resources and participants involved with the USDA-ARS Areawide Pest Management program effort (Improving Honey Bee Health Through Breeding and IPM Control of Parasitic Mites), particularly with respect to extension components and development of BMP guides. Overall, the proposed effort aims to create a pipeline for testing and roll out of control treatments and strategies, for Varroa or other emerging threats, by harnessing beekeeper knowledge, experience, and real-world conditions. In tandem, this will provide immediate solutions and evidence for the beekeeping industry to manage Varroa in the face of increasing amitraz resistance. Essentially we are taking an active adaptive management approach , making decisions on monitoring, learning and altering strategies based on available information and regional needs.