Veterinary preparations based on oxalic acid and their efficiency in varroatosis

The purpose of the study is to review the methods of combating the Varroa destructor mite, based on the use of oxalic acid as an active substance, in Russia and abroad. The paper presents methods that include the use of different formulations of oxalic acid and compares their effectiveness. The influence of various factors - periods of development of bees, climatic conditions - on their effectiveness is shown. In Russia, tests of the effectiveness of oxalic acid were carried out in the absence of brood in families in the autumn in regions such as the Moscow Region, Krasnodar Region, and the Tyumen Region. The treatment was carried out by spraying the combs with a water-sugar solution (1:1) with an acid concentration of 3.2 % at a dose of 5 ml per frame and watering the bees into the spaces between the frames at the same concentration. In addition, feeding of oxalic acid with sugar syrup, fumigation with natural evaporation and the use of aerosols were used. Therapeutic efficacy in experimental families reached 90 % with a single treatment. The same efficiency was achieved as a result of double treatment by spraying the bees on the frames with a 2 % aqueous solution of oxalic acid at a dose of 10-12 ml in the spring (non-fertile) period at an air temperature of 27-29 °C and in the late autumn period at an air temperature of 3-11 °C. Foreign researchers have studied and proposed oxalic acid to combat varroatosis due to the fact that when it is used, this substance does not accumulate in bee products and there is no harm to bee colonies.