Researchers developing new methods for controlling deadly honeybee parasites

Erika Plettner - A new chemical compound under development at Simon Fraser University could give beekeepers an edge in the fight against varroa mites, a deadly parasite that affects honeybees. At her apiary in South Surrey, SFU Chemistry professor Erika Plettner is in the third year of field trials of a new treatment for managing these pests, which have become a serious problem for beekeepers around the world. When left untreated, varroa infestations can cause bee colonies to collapse. Plettner originally developed the compound, 3c36, to deter moths from feeding on food crops. However, through lab trials she discovered that it can also paralyze mites, causing them to fall off of bees. Varroa mites jumped from the Asian honeybee to the European honeybee within the last hundred years. From an evolutionary perspective, that timespan is far too short for the bees to develop natural defenses, leaving them very vulnerable to this pest.