VarroMed
Behandlungsmittel
VarroMed is a ready-to-use dispersion for trickling that combines two organic acids: 44 milligrams of oxalic acid and 5 milligrams of formic acid per milliliter.
VarroMed is a ready-to-use dispersion for trickling that combines two organic acids: 44 milligrams of oxalic acid and 5 milligrams of formic acid per milliliter. Other ingredients include sugar syrup, propolis tincture, star anise oil, lemon oil, and citric acid. The product is centrally authorized in the European Union.
The acaricidal effect essentially comes from the oxalic acid. The added formic acid is present at such a low concentration that no independent nerve-exciting effect was observed in studies. Rather, it is intended to extend the duration of oxalic acid's effect and improve tolerability. This leads to an important point for practice: no mite-killing effect in the capped brood is to be expected from VarroMed. Anyone who interprets the formic acid component as a brood effect misunderstands the product.
Depending on colony strength, 15 to 45 milliliters per treatment are trickled onto the bees in the occupied comb spaces of the brood chamber. Up to nine treatments per year are approved, spread over spring, late summer, and one treatment in late autumn or winter. If brood is present in spring or late summer, treatment is repeated every six days depending on mite drop, to cover one to two mite cycles and also catch the mites that leave the cell with hatching bees.
The efficacy determined was on average just under 89 percent in late autumn and winter, a good 92 percent in spring, and 85 percent in late summer. Increased mortality of worker bees was observed very commonly as a side effect, increasing with rising dose and repeated treatment. With longer treatment periods or when the maximum approved nine treatments were used, negative effects on the queen's lifespan and performance and on colony development could not be ruled out. Treating frequently is therefore not a safe strategy.
A practical advantage over self-prepared sugar-containing oxalic acid solutions is shelf life: the bottle can be used for 30 days after first opening, while homemade sucrose solutions must be used up immediately. Because both acids contained are water-soluble, no accumulation occurs in the wax. With proper use outside the nectar flow, the withdrawal period for honey is zero days; use during the nectar flow is a contraindication. The dispersion irritates skin and eyes; acid-resistant gloves and safety goggles should be worn.
Quellen (4)
- Europäische Arzneimittel-Agentur: VarroMed, Zulassungsunterlagen und Produktinformation
- Europäische Union, Community Register: VarroMed, Anhang I bis III (deutsche Fassung)
- Emmerich, I.: Zugelassene Arzneimittel für Honigbienen in Deutschland, Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 2018
- LLH Bieneninstitut Kirchhain: Infoblatt Varroazide