Effects of late miticide treatments on foraging and colony productivity of European honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Chemical miticides are used routinely in honey bee colonies worldwide as treatment for the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, but there have been very few long-term colony-level field studies of impacts on bees themselves. Lab-based with individual or small groups highlighted many negative effects behaviour and physiology; hence, is an urgent need to better understand consequences apicultural setting. Here we compared commercial treatments tau-fluvalinate thymol, controls, foraging over five months, from autumn through winter Sydney, Australia. Since V. destructor does not occur this study, could isolate direct indirect resulting reduced load. We found either miticide caused no significant change adult brood population size food stores. The average temperature thymol group differed control was lower during winter. Neither longevity. Tau-fluvalinate start earlier life perform shorter trips, other were documented. To conclude, Australia, limited observed colony performance.