RO135246A2 - Installation for application of treatments to control varroa destructor mites in capped brood and process for using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for applying treatments for controlling Varroa Destructor mites in capped brood and to a process for using the same. According to the invention, the installation may be hand- or power-operated and it consists of a stainless steel casing (1) having a cutout (2) for mounting a device (3) with two overlapped rollers (4 and 5) as active pieces, having the role of taking over the treatment product and applying it onto the honeycomb, the overlapped rollers (4 and 5) being fixed onto a stainless steel framework (9), the detachable upper roller being maintained aligned on two plastic supports (10), a container (6) with the treatment product being fixed under the stainless steel casing (1) and provided with a hose (7) while, onto the casing (1), there is a brush (8) mounted in an inclined position, so as to ensure the pressing of the treatment product, to take over the surplus and to uniformly spread it onto the surface of the honeycomb with capped brood, where, in case the installation is power actuated, it is provided with a drive system with an electric motor (13) with a reduction gear with chain transmission, operated during the treatment by a pedal contact and provided with a braking system (14) which cuts off the supply of treatment product. The process, as claimed by the invention, consists in taking over each honeycomb while holding it by the top part, with the surface to be treated facing downwards, in order to bring it into contact with the upper roller imbibed in the treatment substance and, by means of the brush which has a left-right motion, the treatment substance is spread by the rotation of the rollers (4 and 5) and the pressing onto the brush, allover the surface of capped brood, the operation being then repeated on the other face of the honeycomb, after which the honeycomb is inserted back to its place in the family of origin.

Description

The present invention relates to an installation for controlling the honey bee mite Varroa (Apis melliferd) and the method of use in the treatment of the bee family.

The research was generated by the need to find technical solutions to ensure the application of effective treatments in combating varroasis, through the treatment of captive seedlings, in the context of making new products and application procedures that are the subject of patent application 00483 with filing date 07.08. 2019.

Varroosis has become a global problem in beekeeping, being the most serious parasitic disease of bees today that causes significant damage in beekeeping.

The pathogen is Varroa destructor, Anderson and Trueman 2000 [1], an ectoparasitic mite that belongs to the Subclass Mites / Mites, Order Mesostigmata, Family Varroidae.

The destructive varroa was first described as an ectoparasite of the Indian bee - Apis cerana, a species of bee that has developed over time various complex defense mechanisms to survive this parasite. The transfer of this mite, starting in the 1970s, to A. mellifera species, led to the very rapid spread of this parasite on most continents (except Australia) and to very large economic losses, becoming a major problem of today's beekeeping. Numerous studies show that the destructive effect of this parasitosis on bees also derives from its association with a number of viral infections (examples of associated viruses: deformed wing virus, acute and chronic paralysis virus, varroa destructor virus).

At present, the infestation with this parasite affects, to varying degrees, all bee families, and the potential for reinfestation is permanent, taking into account some existing phenomena or practices: drift, poaching, swarming, overpopulation with bee families on a certain area , especially when pastoral practice is practiced on certain concentrated honey resources.

Varroosis, the disease caused by this mite, affects the entire population of the bee family (drones, worker bees, brood), evolves throughout the year, and most

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bee families do not survive the infestation in the absence of treatments for more than 1-3 years, depending on the influence of developmental factors, nutrition, management, etc. [2].

At present, the management of varroa control involves, in particular, the control of the Varroa destructor mite, which is found on adult individuals (worker bees and drones), by using synthetic chemicals, which act by contact or inhalation, substances that do not reach the brood. .

In order to control this mite, a series of chemical treatments have been developed (usually based on pesticides), which, through various treatment schemes, kill only the mite that is on the adult bee.

The current treatments have a number of disadvantages: low efficiency (only on mites existing in the adult bee), high costs, various and complex treatment schemes throughout the year, the development of the mite's resistance to the acaricides used, pollution of bee products.

For these reasons, worldwide research has focused in recent years on finding other methods, techniques and technologies to control, to ensure the limitation of mite multiplication below the economic threshold of damage, by developing the concept of integrated management of varroasis, which includes:

1. simple or combined treatment regimens (one or more annual treatments with one or more substances of different categories, whether or not combined with various bee management techniques);

2. monitoring the degree of infestation by various methods (natural fall, identification of the number of mites on bee samples or in brood) with the application of chemical treatments depending on the level of infestation and the time of year (involves labor in monitoring the degree of infestation, and data on the level of infestation are variable from one family of bees to another);

3. The development of bees' natural resistance to infestation through specific selection measures that focus on specific natural resistance mechanisms (hygienic behavior, deworming and self-deworming, increased immunity), involves a long and intense joint effort with the risk of losing valuable genes in bee populations;

4. decrease the infestation by eliminating the drone seedling which, through its biological cycle

) longer is preferred by varroa for development (removal of drone seedlings requires additional labor and is not indicated from a reproductive and adaptive point of view);

5. isolation of the queen for 24 days in order to no longer have captive chicks and thus to interrupt the varroa cycle, combined with one of the classic treatments, (isolation of the queen involves additional labor to identify and isolate the queen in cages and brooding involves a decrease in their profitability);

6. In addition to the above, the beekeeper must be very careful to improve the management methods of bee families (feeding, maintenance techniques, artificial swarming, etc.).

In order to deworm the bee family, it was even necessary to introduce in the beekeeping management some practices for destroying / eliminating the captive brood.

Given the biological peculiarities of the mite and the honey bee and given the fact that varroasis involves the growth and development of new generations of the mite in the captive brood of the bee family, we could say that varroa is a disease of the brood in particular and not a bee adults, but due to the fact that current treatments do not ensure the safe penetration of substances in the captive brood, the treatment of varroasis in the brood is limited and not addressed by most current treatment methods.

As an exception, there are some international approaches to treating captive seedlings by developing treatment techniques, using temperature (eg heat hive) or formic acid, especially by treating the whole family.

Biological features of the varroa mite (Varroa destructor). The adult female measures approximately 1.1 mm in length and 2.6 mm in width, weighs 0.14 mg and is reddish-brown. Males are much smaller and less colored (slightly pigmented) and live only inside brood cells, where mating takes place, its only role in the biology of the species. The body of the parasite is flattened dorsoventrally, which allows it to be inserted between the tergites and abdominal stem cells of the bee [2].

The lifespan of the founding females depends on the season, the presence of the brood, the temperature and humidity, being able to live up to a few months during the inactive season when there are no broods.

The destructive Varroa mite parasitizes both adult bees and the young on which it depends for the growth and development of new generations.

Thus, its life cycle takes place only in the bee family and has two phases:

1. forestry phase - paired adult females also called founding females (maturing / preserving for cell reinfestation) that are found on the adult bee, and

2. the reproductive phase - which always takes place inside the cells with captive broods where the laying of eggs takes place, the growth and development of the next generation, but also the maturation and mating of the new females.

As a result of this behavior, most of the biological cycle of the mite takes place inside the brood cells, and during the period when there are broods (eg in Romania from January to September / October) the varroa population, in the most most of it can be found in offspring in proportions of 50 to 90% [2].

Biological features of the honey bee (A. melliferd) of interest in combating parasitosis with the destructive Varroa mite are those related to the period of growth and development of the brood when the complete metamorphosis from egg to adult takes place, of interest being the period of captive brood period the reproduction of the parasite takes place and it is the place where the current treatments cannot reach to be effective.

From a biological point of view, the developmental stages are as follows: egg, larva, prenymph (or prepup) and nymph (or pupa).

The duration of development from egg to adult varies in the three individuals (bee, drone, queen), as follows: worker bee - 21 days, drone - 24 days and queen - 16 days.

From the point of view of the appearance of the young, it is of two types:

1. unopened (open) brood covering the egg and larval stage during feeding, and

2. captive brood that includes the larval stage that is to undergo transformations related to the following stages of development (large larva in the process of weaving the cocoon, prenymph, nymph, adult in the process of hatching) that does not require feeding.

Thus, at the end of the larval stage, after the last supply with

food, the cells are covered with a layer of wax by the worker bees.

Next, the larvae will weave a cocoon and turn into pre-nymph, nymph and adult, stages that we can only observe if the wax cap is removed.

The bee's capping behavior consists in modeling with the jaws a layer of wax that closes the cell with the larval brood, about 6 days after the larva leaves the egg. The role of this cap is to prevent the fall of the larva that moves intensely in the cell when swallowing (hypothesis issued, verified and published by de Siceanu A, 1996) [3], the cells being perpendicular to the honeycombs that have a vertical position in the nest . From the moment of hatching until reaching adulthood, before the bee leaves the cells (hatching from the cells), the metamorphosis of the bee, ie the transition from the larval stage to the stages of extended larvae, nymphs and nymphs takes place under the cap, it can not be observed.

The destructive Varroa mite has this unique adaptation, which makes it identify (by chemical signals such as pheromones) the larval stage before it is capped by bees, to enter these cells and start a new biological cycle.

Thus, the paired adult female (the founder of a new varooa family) enters a brood cell, a few hours before it is able to hatch (both the drone and the worker bee brood). One or more founding females may enter a cell.

About 4 hours after hatching, the mite begins to feed on the bee brood. After 60-70 hours (2.5 days-3 days) from hatching, the female mite (founder) begins to lay the first egg from which a male will usually emerge and then, from the following eggs, laid at an interval of approx. 30 hours (1.25 days) will usually result in only females (4-5). The development period is 5-6 days for the mite males and 7-8 days for the mite females, a period in which two active phases are distinguished: the protonymph phase and the deutonymph phase preceded by short inactive, moulting phases (protocrisalide and deutocrisalide).

The resulting female females mate with the existing male (the male, in the case of an infestation with a single founding female) before the bees hatch in the cells, so that its role and life are limited only to the mating of the females inside the brood cell. By laying only one egg from which the male will result, the mite lays its eggs

increases the chances of breeding in the bee family, resulting in more females.

As a result of this behavior, but also of the different developmental duration of the working bee brood compared to the drone bee, the usual multiplication rate (no. Of paired adult females resulting from a founding female) is 1.7-2 times. in the worker brood and 2-3 times in the drone brood, this is due to the longer development period of the drone brood (24 days in the drone, compared to 21 days in the worker bee). Thus, the quantity and type of brood of a bee family influences the degree of infestation of the bee family.

Mites feed on the hemolymph and the fatty body of adult broods and bees, by extraoral digestion, weakening them both nutritionally and immunely and at the same time being a very important vector for the transmission of specific viruses.

The clinical signs of severe infestation that may be followed by their death are:

- Significant decrease in the population of adult bees, possibly the existence of a small number of dead bees on the bottom of the hive.

- The appearance of adult bees with deformed wings and abdomen.

- The mite is in large numbers and often visible on adult bees, in the drone brood, or on the bottom of the hive.

- Existence of abnormalities in the appearance of captive brood (if the signs are not specific to other diseases of the brood - eg American and European loca) - varroa syndrome.

As regards the state of the art, as mentioned above, most classical, conventional or organic treatments are effective only in combating the founding females of adult individuals of the honey bee, the adult or growing and developing forms of the captive brood being not affected.

These treatments are based on pesticides, organic acids or volatile oils with an acaricidal role and act by contact or inhalation, being administered as such, by fumigation, dripping or impregnation on supports of plastic, textile, cellulose acting for a period of time between 7 -30 days, depending on the product. The active substances are dispersed,

at different intervals, by direct contact between bees and acaricide-impregnated materials or by volatilization / fumigation throughout the hive volume.

A major disadvantage of using these substances is that they are dispersed throughout the hive, reaching all products of the hive, but also in contact with the larval brood, which is in the stage of brooding, which does not require treatment.

Another disadvantage is that through pesticide residues in hive products, especially honey and wax, these treatments pollute hive products in the long run, affect the immunity of bees and promote the resistance of the mite to active substances, through residual sublethal doses, accumulated by -within time.

At present, all international studies show that it is necessary to abandon residual chemicals for the reasons set out above.

Alternatives to the use of organic substances in the control of varroasis use volatile organic acids (formic acid) or non-volatile organic acids (oxalic acid) and volatile oils (thymol, menthol, eucalyptol, etc.).

An important advantage of using these substances is that they do not contaminate honeycombs and other hive products.

Of these, there is a special interest in the use of volatile substances, numerous studies showing that formic acid is the most effective, and can ensure the fall of forest parasites (Pietrapaoli M. 2019 and 2018, Morro A., 2018, Giusti M., 2017 , Underwood R., 2005, Eguaras M., 2003, Hood M., 2001, Feldlaufer MF, 1997 Muttinelli 1994) [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12], also acting in the young capped (Fries I., 1991, Amrine J., 2006, 2007, vanEngelsdorp D., 2008) [13, 14, 15].

Formic acid is a well-known organic acid, which is found in nature as a defense substance in various organisms (eg ants, scorpions, beetles, plants, etc.), but also in the atmosphere through natural biodegradation processes. Formic acid can be made artificially by chemical synthesis, being used as a preservative and antimicrobial agent in various industries. Being a substance with a high degree of volatility, formic acid has been shown to be successfully used in the control of varroasis. in beekeeping it is used as such in the production of anti-varicose drugs, although its exact mode of action (suffocation or inhibition of respiration) is not known, by various methods and

devices (evaporators, vaporizers) that require long-term treatment (minimum 7 days), under certain temperature conditions (8-3 5 ° C).

However, when it is spread within the bee family by classical methods, which involve its use throughout the bee family (brood and bees), the cap is an important barrier and requires a longer period of time to reach a high level. being at the same time extremely repellent and toxic to bees, but depending on the concentration, method, duration of application, hive volume, etc. can penetrate the cell cap, which has a porous structure, and thus kill the mites in the cells. different percentages.

Current treatments, authorized or not, involve its use for a long period of time (minimum 7 days), by application to the whole family of bees, the concentration of formic acid vapors in the hive being extremely variable depending on various factors. Most studies show that the use of formic acid in the treatment of the whole bee family presents some risks regarding the damage of the adult bee, the queens, but also the larval brood, leading to depopulation, slowing down the development and loss of queens. The higher the concentration and time of application of formic acid, the greater the adverse effects on the bee family.

In order to eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above, it is imperative to shorten the treatment time with formic acid in the fight against varroasis, and in this regard there are two international studies, which refer to the treatment of the whole bee family, formic acid treatments having a concentration of 50%, being applied for an exposure of about 18-24 hours at (Amrine J., 2006) [14], respectively 17h (vanEngelsdorp D., 2008) [15]. These studies show a treatment efficiency in the brood of 90-95% and over 60%, respectively.

In order to increase the short-term efficiency in the treatment of the whole bee family, another method of application has been developed which consists in the artificial release of the brood and its treatment with 60% formic acid for a period of about 15 hours and At the same time, it has been established that if the brood is artificially peeled and treated separately in special boxes, without bees, by natural or rapid evaporation, the time can be shortened.

treatment at about 15-25 minutes, using formic acid with a concentration between 65-85% (Siceanu A., 2019) [16].

A similar method (Guido G., 2018) [17] involved the introduction of honeycombs harvested from the bee family in special treatment boxes (Formico box) together with formic acid 25-30 g, followed by their introduction into plastic bags and keeping them in the sun for about 2 hours for faster evaporation.

Recently, by the patent application no. 00483 / 07.08.2019 (Siceanu A., Căuia E., Vișan G., Căuia D.) [18] new procedures and formulas were presented at national and international level, for the application of highly volatile acids (formic and acetic acid) in the treatment of brood with an efficiency of over 80%.

In this regard, two procedures have been developed which involve the application of formulas based on formic acid, acetic acid and plant extracts, by completely new methods of application, brushing on captive seedlings and pressure in hermetically sealed boxes, the scientific results being popularized. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eptG6T4QnbA) [19] and are being published.

As a result of these new discoveries in the application, it has been found necessary to simplify and streamline the application procedure by brushing treatment formulas in the control of varroa mite (Varroa destructor) in captive seedlings, resulting in two variants of a treatment application facility. by brushing the combs with capped brood, to ensure:

- shortening the treatment time and simplifying the administration operation,

- rapid and uniform application of the treatment product,

- uniform and controllable dosing of the treatment product,

- removal of several utensils and operations according to the brushing procedure from patent application 00483/2019,

- increasing safety in the use of volatile acids and better protection of the operator.

Technical problem solved: simplification of the brush application of the treatment product at minimum cost, shortening the treatment time and application

/ rapid and uniform treatment of the product, uniform and controllable dosing of the treatment product, elimination of more utensils and operations compared to the simple brushing procedure, increased safety in the use of volatile acids and better protection of the operator in combating varroa mite ( Varroa destructor) which is found in the brood of the honey bee (Apis melliferă).

The treatment thus performed ensures the optimization of the varroosis control process (brushing process - result of the reference patent application) for killing the mite (brood + adults) in the captive brood, without contamination of bee products and the appearance of resistance to treatment substances, without affecting the target species (honey bee - brood and adult bee of any age), thus interrupting the development cycle of the mite.

In this respect, own tests and research have shown that the newly built installation which is the subject of the present patent application ensures an improvement of the process of application of formulas based on volatile organic acids and of the application process by brushing, ensuring the killing in percentage 80-100% of the mites in the treated brood, greatly shortening the time of application and action and acting only on the parasites in the captive brood, without affecting the treated brood, worker bee or drone.

The following are two examples of the installation:

Example No 1. Manually operated plant for the application of treatments to control the Varroa destructive mite in the captive brood by passing the honeycomb with the captive brood, with a light pressing, over the application elements.

General dimensions: Length = 420 mm, width = 250 mm, height = 160 mm.

The installation according to the invention consists of a stainless steel housing - 1, provided with adjustable legs to ensure an optimal working height for the operator. A cut was made in the stainless steel housing - 2, for mounting the application dementia. In order to take over and apply the treatment product on the surface of the honeycomb with a capped brood, a device was designed - 3, with active parts (rollers) - 4,5. Below the device with active parts is a tank - 6, with the treatment product (in liquid form) which is provided with a hose - 7, for level control and emptying the tank.

A brush - 8, 13 cm wide, placed at an angle, is fixed on the stainless steel housing.

which ensures the pressing of the treatment product, the taking over of the surplus and its uniform spreading on the surface of the honeycomb with capped brood.

The device with active parts consists of two overlapping rollers - 4, 5, fixed on a stainless steel frame - 9.

The lower roller - 4, is fixed with the possibility of rotation on an axis, and the upper roller 5, removable, rests on the lower roller, being kept centered, through its axis, on 2 own plastic supports -10.

The lower roller is a plastic cylinder with a diameter of about 7 cm and which during the work is partially immersed in the treatment product.

The upper roller is a cylinder with a diameter similar to the lower roller, being provided with a layer of about 2 cm of textile layer, absorbent of the treatment product.

The active parts operate on the principle of taking and transmitting a liquid by rotation, from the surface of the lower roller, immersed in the treatment substance, to the absorbent surface of the upper roller, which is thus permanently supplied with a certain amount of substance.

By passing the honeycomb capped with a light pressing over the upper, absorbent roller, it ensures its rotation that drives the lower roller and thus ensures the application of the treatment product from the tank on the surface of the honeycomb.

During the work, the honeycombs with the treatment product applied by the upper roll pass continuously over the brush which ensures the pressing, stretching of the product and the elimination of the excess substance.

All components that come into contact with a treatment product based on volatile organic acids according to the treatment formula are resistant to acids and non-corrosive.

The procedure for using the installation. for the purpose of applying the product to the surfaces of the captive brood by means of the installation in Example 1, the brood combs, regardless of the surface of the captive brood or the existence in these combs of areas with larval brood (unpaved), or food (honey and pasture) , are first shaken and brushed by the covering bee in the family of origin.

For the treatment of each honeycomb surface of the honeycomb, the honeycombs are held to the upper back, with the surface to be treated downwards, placed in contact with the upper roller soaked in the treatment substance and the brush, and with a right-left movement the application is ensured.

and spreading the substance by rotating the roller and pressing on the brush, making sure that the operation is carried out on the entire surface of the capped brood, by repeating the movement on the untreated surface, depending on the size of the brood surface. The operation is repeated on the other side of the honeycomb if there is a captive brood.

The honeycomb thus treated is either introduced back into the family of origin or placed in a transport box for a few minutes to evaporate the excess acid.

Example 2. Electrically operated plant for the application of treatments to control the Varroa destructive mite in the captive brood, by passing the honeycomb with the captive brood, with a light pressing, over the application elements.

General dimensions: Length = 400 mm, width = 330 mm, height = 250 mm.

The installation according to the invention consists of a stainless steel housing - 1, provided with adjustable legs to ensure an optimal working height for the operator. A cut was made in the stainless steel housing - 2, for mounting a device - 3, with active parts (rollers) - 4.5, with the role of taking the treatment product and applying it on the surface of the honeycomb. Under the device with active parts is a tank - 6, with the treatment product which is provided with a hose - 7, for controlling the level of liquid and emptying the tank.

The device with active parts consists of two overlapping rollers - 4, 5, fixed on a stainless steel frame - 8.

The lower roller - 4, is fixed at the ends, but with the possibility of rotation on an axis, and the upper roller - 5, is kept centered, through its axis, on two plastic supports - 9.

The lower roller is a plastic cylinder with a diameter of about 7 cm and which during the work is partially immersed in the treatment product.

The upper roller is made of a plastic cylinder - 10, with a diameter of about 4 cm on which are fixed four brushes - 11, with a width of 10 cm, ensuring a diameter of the roller with brushes of 16 cm.

The active parts operate on the principle of taking and transmitting a liquid by rotation, from the surface of the lower roller, immersed, on the absorbent surface of the upper roller, which in this way is permanently fed with a certain amount of substance.

During rotation, each brush touches the lower roller, overlapping it by about 1-1.5 cm, thus rotating the lower roller, taking over and feeding the brushes with the treatment product, successively, as they rotate. continuous.

In order to remove the excess substance taken from the brushes, a stainless steel shaft - 12 has been installed, from which the tips of the brushes are wiped during rotation.

The system is equipped with a drive system with a gear motor with chain drive -13, which ensures a shaft speed with brushes of about 200 rpm. The motor is operated by means of a foot contact only during treatment.

Also, the installation is provided with a braking system -14, during work, of the lower roller that functions as a feed cylinder, whose actuation stops the supply with the treatment product, thus the brushes working and feeding again, having only the role of wiping and removing excess treatment product from the treated brood surface.

The guide bar is fixed on the housing of the installation - 15, with the help of which the working height of the brushes is adjusted to a horizontal plane, and during work this bar supports and maintains the frame with the honeycombs to be treated at the predetermined distance from the surface to be treated. thus ensuring the working and contact depth of the brushes and therefore the friction force.

All components that come into contact with the volatile organic acid treatment product according to the treatment formula are acid-resistant and non-corrosive.

The procedure for using the installation. for the purpose of applying the product to the areas of captive broods using the installation in Example 2, capped brood combs, regardless of the surface of the capped brood or the existence in these combs of areas with larval (unpopulated) brood, or food (honey and pasture) , are shaken and brushed by the covering bee in the family of origin.

For the treatment of each honeycomb capped surface of the honeycomb, the honeycombs are held to the upper back, with the surface to be treated downwards, placed in contact with the guide bar and moved right-left horizontally, coming into contact with the rotating roller brushes which ensures the application of the treatment product. The operation is repeated on the other side of the honeycomb if there is a captive brood. The honeycomb thus treated is either introduced back into the family of origin or placed in a transport box for a few minutes to evaporate the excess acid.

The operation is repeated for each honeycomb with a captive bee from the bee family.

The body with the treated honeycombs is covered with a platform so that the bees cannot enter the space (so as not to generate theft) for a few minutes, during which time most of the treatment product evaporates inside the cells and outside. their.

In order to use the treatment plant, it is mandatory to wear acid-resistant protective gloves and a protective mask that prevents the inhalation of acid vapors.

Research has shown that the application of the product to honeycombs using the plant ensures that the substances evaporate and penetrate into the cells with brood in a sufficient concentration to kill the existing mite population, 80-100%, regardless of the stage of development (female daughters, founding females, males, protonymphs and deutonymphs of the two types of individuals), without affecting the further development of the worker bee or drone and the resulting adult individuals. Research shows that the most sensitive forms of mite development are protonymphs and deutonymphs, as well as males (probably due to the fact that the exoskeleton is non-chitinized and all internal organs, including the respiratory are vulnerable).

Also from the researches it was observed that the death of the mites starts immediately after the application of the treatment and continues in the following hours until about 18 hours. As a result of the treatment, the reproductive cycle of the mite, which is in the captive brood, is interrupted in a single day, and the treatment operation itself does not exceed the duration of a regular inspection of the bee family (approx. 5 minutes). the treated honeycombs are separated in special boxes, during the evaporation interval, the beekeeper being able to perform the same operation on another bee family, thus working successively on all bee families.

Optimal period of treatment: The treatment can be carried out at any time of the active season when there is a captive brood, depending on the level of infestation, or preventive, given the very variable levels of infestation in bee families in the same> apiary. However, it is estimated that the optimum time for treatment may be in the spring, when there are few captive seedlings and / or in July (until the last decade, preferably after a blockage harvest, to minimize the area of captive seedlings), before the start of growth. for the brood bee to develop in the absence of this parasitosis and the associated viral infections, for the generations of bees to be

healthy, with increased longevity.

The installations resulting from examples 1 and 2 involve an inventive step because:

- to date, no similar installation has been carried out, either nationally or internationally;

- improves the application of formulas based on volatile organic acids in combating varroasis in captive seedlings (brushing procedure described in patent application 00483 / 07.08.2019);

- ensures uniform dosing and uptake of the substance;

- ensures the shortening of the treatment application period from a minimum of 15-20 minutes (the procedure described in patent application 00483 / 07.08.2019) to a maximum of 5 minutes / treated honeycomb;

Industrial applicability of installations. The installations resulting from examples 1 and 2 can be made on an industrial scale and can be used in any apiary, according to the procedures of use, given that varroasis exists in all bee families, with varying degrees of infestation.

The processes for the use of the installations resulting from Examples 1 and 2 involve an inventive step in comparison with other processes existing at national or international level in that:

- improve the application of formulas based on volatile organic acids in combating varroasis in captive seedlings (brushing procedure described in patent application 00483 / 07.08.2019);

- ensures uniform dosing and uptake of the substance;

- ensures the shortening of the treatment application period from a minimum of 15-20 minutes (brushing procedure described in patent application 00483 / 07.08.2019) to a maximum of 5 minutes / treated honeycomb;

The procedures described in this patent application can be widely applied by any beekeeper, in any apiary, at any level (hobby, part-time, professional), as needed, at any time during the active season and regardless of apiary size or type - conventional or ecologically certified, shortening the treatment period, the number of treatments and their costs, with a positive impact on bee health and beekeeping.

Bibliographical references:

1. Anderson, D. L., Trueman, J. W. H. 2000. “Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae) is more than one species”. Exp. App. Acarol. 24, 165-189, Experimental and Applied Acarology 24 (3): 165-89, doi: 10.1023 / A: 1006456720416.

2. Rosenkranz, P., Aumeier, P., and Ziegelmann, B. 2010. “Biology and Control of Varroa Destroyer.” Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 103: S96-19. doi: 10.1016 / j.jip.2009.07.016.

3. Siceanu, A. 1996. "The Artificial Decapping of the Honeybee Brood for the Control of the Abandoned Jacobin Varroa." Apiacta 31: 45-50.

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Claims (4)

demand 1. Manually operated plant for the treatment of Varroa destructor mite in captive seedlings, characterized in that it consists of a stainless steel housing (1), in which a cut-out was made (2), for mounting a device ( 3), with active parts (overlapping rollers) (4, 5) with the role of taking the treatment product and applying it on the honeycomb, these being fixed on a stainless steel frame (9), the upper roller, removable, being maintained centered on 2 plastic supports (10), under the housing there is a tank (6) with the treatment product, provided with a hose (7), and on the housing being fixed a brush (8), placed inclined which ensures the pressing of the product treatment, taking over the surplus and its uniform spread on the surface of the honeycomb with capped brood. 2. Electrically operated plant for the treatment of Varroa destructor mite in captive seedlings, characterized in that it consists of a stainless steel housing (1), in which a cut-out was made (2), for the installation of a device (3), with active parts (overlapping rollers) (4,5), with the role of taking the treatment product and applying it on the surface of the honeycomb, these being fixed on a stainless steel frame (8), the upper roller being made of a plastic cylinder (10), to which four brushes (11) are fixed, held centered, by its axis, on two plastic supports (9), under the device with active parts being a tank (6) ), with the treatment product, fitted with a hose (7) and a stainless steel shaft (12), in order to remove the excess substance taken up on the brushes, the whole installation being provided with a drive system with a geared motor with transmission on chain (13), actuated by means of a pedal contact in ti and a braking system (14), which stops the supply of the treatment product, with a guide bar (15) fixed to the installation housing to adjust the working height of the brushes relative to the horizontal plane of the honeycomb, while maintaining the frame with the honeycombs to be treated at the predetermined distance from the surface to be treated, thus ensuring the working and contact depth of the brushes and therefore the friction force. Method for using the installation according to claim 1, characterized therein that each captive honeycomb, taken from the bee family, is held by the upper back, with the surface to be treated downwards, in order to be placed in contact with the upper roller soaked in the treatment substance and with the brush, and with a straight movement. on the left, the application and application of the treatment formula is ensured by rotating the roller and pressing on the brush, taking care that the operation is performed on the entire surface of the capped brood, by repeating the movement on the untreated surface, depending on the size of the brood surface. the other side of the honeycomb if there is a captive brood and the other honeycomb combs taken from the bee family, after which each treated honeycomb is either placed back in the family of origin or placed in a transport box for a few minutes to evaporate the excess of acid. Method of using the plant according to Claim 2, characterized in that each honeycomb capped beetle taken from the bee family is held by the upper back, with the surface to be treated downwards, and is placed in contact with the guide bar, moving from right to left in the horizontal plane, in order to come into contact with the rotating roller brushes that ensure the application of the treatment product, the operation being repeated on each side of the honeycomb if there is capped brood and on each honeycomb with capped brood, the honeycombs thus treated being immediately put either back in the family of origin or in a transport box to evaporate the excess acid for a few minutes.