Hello All,

I talked to Jerry Hayes of Dadant a few minutes ago about the new product
for control of varroa mites and received the information I was looking for
to inform the BEE-L list about the product sucrose octanoate esters.

The product will be sold by Dadant through their many U.S. branches starting
in 2004.

A test market will be done with commercial beekeepers in Florida this fall.

I will also be running tests on the product myself this fall. Jerry Hayes
has already ran tests on his own bees and is pleased with the results. The
product although labor consuming does kill 100% of varroa if applied
correctly and in the correct concentration.  The product does not kill
varroa in sealed cells but neither does our other registered controls.

Mike Tooley asked about brood kill. None has been reported so far.

The product is similar  in use to an insecticidal soap in that it kills
varroa either by suffocation or by breaking down the eckoskeleton of varroa.

The product quickly breaks down into a fatty acid and sucrose  and zero
contamination of wax or honey has been reported.

Jerry says the product will be inexpensive as you only mix a tablespoon and
a half to a gallon of water in a gallon sprayer. The material will keep in
the sprayer through the entire treatment period which Jerry says is once a
week for three weeks (to get all varroa emerging  from cells).

By the time the finished label for the product concerning application (2004)
is written better ways of application might be figured out with input from
commercial beekeepers in Florida .

The safety factor should be of great interest to all beekeepers. The product
is safe to use by the beekeeper. The product does not contaminate the brood
comb (which has been the case with other products) and does not kill queens
& brood (a frequent problem with formic acid).

The EPA approved a section 3 label very quickly due to the safety aspect of
sucrose Octanoate Esters.

Although the product will surely appeal to the small hobby beekeeper for
many reasons (legal & safe) Dadant hopes the product will appeal to the
large commercial beekeeper for the same reasons. Dadant has always tried to
provide the beekeeping industry the tools the industry needs to survive. Let
us try the product with an open mind and see  if perhaps Sucrose Octanoate
Esters will work for us.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri

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