Progress 09/01/02 to 08/31/05
Outputs
We conducted a second year field test of using the mitezapper in regular honey bee colonies. The study was conducted in two beekeepers' apiaries in addition to the Michigan State University apiary. News articles about the Mitezapper have brought parties interested to license the Mitezapper product.
Impacts
The Mitezapper, once in the market and adopted by US beekeepers will save them millions of dollars. Assuming $6 per colony per year, currently the US beekeepers spend about $14 million per year for chemicals. The Mitezapper will reduce that number by 50% considering a Mitezapper will last 5 years at $15 a piece. Currently MSU is negotiating with a few possible parties interested in licensing the right of producing the Mitezapper. One company has signed an agreement for possible production.
Publications
- Qin, Y., Z.Y. Huang. 2006. Thermal death kinetics for varroa mites and honey bees. In preparation.
- Huang, Z.Y., M. Langenburger. 2007. Using an electrically heated drone comb for varroa mite control. In preparation.
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
We have tested the mitezappers in 2 locations and the efficacy arranged from 28% to 86%. We have designed a circuite board to obtain temperature reading on the zapper frame, and when the temperature reaches a certain level (say 46 degrees C), the power to the mitezapper is automatically shut off. This can be used to prevent the zapper reaching a too high temperature causing beeswax meltdown. We also obtained more data of thermal kinetic data, comparing bees of various physiological status (nurses, foragers, winter bees) bees to if they have different thermal sensitivity. Foragers and winter bees showed no difference in thermal tolerance, but nurses are more tolerant than both foragers and winter bees.
Impacts
Varroa mites continue to be the worst honey bee pest national wide. Resistance has been observed by this pest to all registered chemicals: fluvalinate (Apistan), coumaphos (CheckMite+), and amitraz. Physical method such as the 'Mitezapper', combined with integrated pest management (IPM) and using resistant bees, will prove to be the only way that the mites can be successfully managed.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
We have now designed a PCB (printed circuit board) heating element that can be used to produce heat to kill varroa mites. We have made 12 prototypes but it was too late in the season to have field data for mite-killing efficacy. We determined the thermal death kinetics for both varroa mites and the honey bees. These information are crucial for the design of a circuit that would kill mites but not harm honey bees. We also determined the thermal capacity of honey bee drone pupae. These data are allowing us to design the third version of the heating circuit that will be used in colonies next spring.
Impacts
Varroa mites continue to be the worst honey bee pest national wide. Resistance has been observed by this pest to all registered chemicals: fluvalinate (Apistan), coumaphos (CheckMite+), and amitraz. Physical method such as the 'Mitezapper', combined with integrated pest management (IPM) and using resistant bees, will prove to be the only way that the mites can be successfully managed.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
The Mitezapper patent has been approved (patent #: 6,457,061). We have been working with Dr. Tom Mase in Engineering to develop a plastic foundation with wires embedded, we are making progress but the prototype was not ready during summer of 2002. We therefore hand-wired 50 drone frames with wax foundation. We tried to test the best time for killing mites using these wax-foundation prototype mitezappers. While the wax foundation alone (without combs built or pupae inside) melted in about 4-8 seconds, we discovered that with drone pupae in every cell, the same portable battery did not have enough power to heat the comb even after 5 minutes. A regular car battery, on the other hand, burned all the wires immediately, without any harm to the bees or mites. Clearly we will need some current regulation mechanisms for the wires.
Impacts
esults generated from the research above and other extension information will be used to develop an IPM program for controlling varroa mites. There is a critical need to educate beekeepers about mechanisms of resistance development in varroa mites and the need to reduce chemical usage by using other alternative methods
Publications
- none yet (grant started in fall of 2002).
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