A new study examining data from the National Bee Unit’s annual husbandry survey to better understand Varroa treatment practices throughout the UK has just been published. Thomas O’Shea-Waller from the University of Exeter along with colleagues from Newcastle University and Fera Science Ltd assess the relative importance of treatment adherence, location, climate, and Varroa management practices in determining colony survival and honey production at the national level. The key finding from this study is that the correct timing of application of Varroa treatments reduces overwintering losses. You can learn more about the findings of this study by downloading the paper, which is open access:
O’Shea-Wheller, T.A., Hall, A., Stainton, K., Tomkies, V., Budge, G.E., Wilkins, S. and Jones, B. (2025) A large-scale study of Varroa destructor treatment adherence in apiculture. Entomologia Generalis, DOI:10.1127/entomologia/2024/2758.
This work was funded by Bee Disease Insurance Ltd. and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The NBU produces a free, downloadable advisory leaflet, ‘Managing Varroa’, which provides an overview of the types of treatments and management options available to reduce Varroa population in the colony and the best time to apply them, as well as monitoring options that inform when it’s time to treat.