The use of airborne ultrasound for Varroa destructor mite control in beehives

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dc.contributor.authorBarry, Brendan C.
dc.contributor.authorVerstraten, Lindy
dc.contributor.authorButler, Fidelma
dc.contributor.authorWhelan, Padraig M.
dc.contributor.authorWright, William M.D.
dc.contributor.funderScience Foundation Irelanden
dc.date.accessioned2019-02-14T16:36:23Z
dc.date.available2019-02-14T16:36:23Z
dc.date.issued2018-10
dc.date.updated2019-02-14T16:29:28Z
dc.description.abstractThe declining health of honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations is of global concern, as they are arguably the most important pollinator insect. The Varroa destructor mite weakens bees by sucking their haemolymph and spreads debilitating illnesses such as Deformed Wing Virus. Current methods of Varroa mite control are usually pesticide-based with potential side effects for the bees or the beekeeper, and can leave residues in the honey or wax. The mites can also develop resistance to these pesticides. The objective of the current work is to investigate the use of high-frequency, high-intensity airborne ultrasound to control the Varroa mite populations using a chemical-free technology. A prototype ultrasonic system that generates airborne ultrasonic waves at different frequencies and intensities was constructed and tested. In initial studies, small transparent enclosures were used to observe directly the effects of the ultrasound on the bees. Preliminary in-hive tests were then conducted. Bee hives with varying levels of Varroa mite infestation were temporarily sealed to prevent bee traffic and then the bees inside were exposed to the ultrasound. The mite drop from the hive was recorded for (i)30 minutes before, (ii)during 30 minutes of ultrasound exposure, and (iii)30 minutes after ultrasonic treatment. The bees in the transparent enclosures exhibited normal behavior and appeared to be unaffected by the ultrasound. Preliminary results from the in-hive experiments indicate a significant increase in the rate of Varroa mite drop after only 30 minutes of exposure to the airborne ultrasound inside some of the hives, with the effect continuing after the ultrasonic system was switched off. Long-term field trials of ultrasonic in-hive systems are ongoing.en
dc.description.sponsorshipScience Foundation Ireland (SFI Technology Innovation Development Award, grant number 16\TIDA\3917)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationBarry, B. C., Verstraten, L., Butler, F. T., Whelan, P. M. and Wright, W. M. D. 'The Use of Airborne Ultrasound for Varroa Destructor Mite Control in Beehives'. 2018 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), Kobe, Japan, 22-25 October. doi: 10.1109/ULTSYM.2018.8580160en
dc.identifier.doi10.1109/ULTSYM.2018.8580160
dc.identifier.endpage9en
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-5386-3425-7
dc.identifier.issn1948-5727
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/7502
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)en
dc.relation.ispartof2018 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS)
dc.relation.urihttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8580160
dc.rights© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.en
dc.subjectAgricultural engineeringen
dc.subjectAgricultural productsen
dc.subjectAgricultural safetyen
dc.subjectDiseasesen
dc.subjectFood productsen
dc.subjectPest controlen
dc.subjectPrototypesen
dc.subjectUltrasonic applicationsen
dc.subjectWaxesen
dc.subjectVarroa destructor mite controlen
dc.subjectPrototype ultrasonic systemen
dc.subjectAirborne ultrasonic wavesen
dc.subjectIn-hive testsen
dc.subjectBee hivesen
dc.subjectDeformed wing virusen
dc.subjectPollinator insecten
dc.subjectHaemolymphen
dc.subjectPesticidesen
dc.subjectHoneyen
dc.subjectWaxen
dc.subjectChemical-free technologyen
dc.subjectHoney bee healthen
dc.subjectTime 30.0 minen
dc.subjectAirborne ultrasounden
dc.subjectVarroa destructor miteen
dc.subjectBee hive healthen
dc.subjectChemical-free controlen
dc.subjectMite removalen
dc.titleThe use of airborne ultrasound for Varroa destructor mite control in beehivesen
dc.typeConference itemen
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