Hi all
Here we have a study which sets out to compare miticide effectiveness and finds a different answer than expected. The found the treatments were about equally effective but the effectiveness varied according to -- location. In other words, the environment is a very important variable in varroa control. Which is obvious to people who travel around, but good to have on paper nonetheless. Environment includes climate, weather, and actual location features.  

Field trials were conducted in Northeast Spain (Aragón) to evaluate the effectiveness of two
acaricides against Varroa destructor. These experiments took into account the season of
the year, apiary, colony, and developmental state and strength of the colony. The acaricides
used were a synthetic (amitraz, Apivar®) and a natural (formulated from Api Life Var®, thymol
oil and thymol alcohol) product. The treatments used in the present study reduce high
infestations of V. destructor, although they do not eliminate the infestation. Similar efficacies
between treatments were found. Nevertheless, the efficacy of a treatment depends on the
apiary where applied. Moreover, the detected variability in the apiary and hive poses a challenge
to the identification of the significant factors. 

Gracia MJ, Moreno C, Ferrer M, Sanz A, Peribáñez MÁ, Estrada R (2017) Field efficacy of acaricides against Varroa destructor. PLoS ONE 12 (2): e0171633. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171633

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html