A NEW APPROACH TO CONTROL VARROATOSIS IN HONEY BEES USING SYNTHETICALLY PRODUCED DRONE BROOD PHEROMONE

Today, one of the most important problems of global beekeeping is varroatosis of honey bees, which is reg istered in most countries of the world, and the annual death rate in Europe and America reaches 70%. Apiaries unfavorable for varroatosis carry out a complex of physical, biological, therapeutic veterinary and sanitary measures. The methods of treatment for this disease are divided into physical (thermal), zootechnical and chemi cal. At the same time, each of the methods has its advantages and disadvantages, and the latter prevail. Thus, zootechnical methods are ineffective; the thermal method is highly effective, but laborious; the chemical method of control using acaricidal drugs is highly effective, but dangerous for bees, bee products and humans. The authors of the article previously showed that the environmentally safe pheromone composition Apimil, created on the ba sis of synthetically obtained 9-oxo-2E-decenoic acid (the main component of the "mother substance" of honey bees) and the components of Nasonov's odorous gland (geraniol, citral, geranic acid), can take its rightful place in the system of health measures for varroatosis. Taking into account the above, it is still relevant in beekeeping to find effective ways and methods to combat varroatosis of bees. This article discusses a new approach to the con trol of the Varroa mite using the main component of the drone brood pheromone, 1,2-dioleate-3-palmitate, previ ously synthesized by the authors of the article from readily available glycerin. At the same time, they were based on two provisions: the fact known in beekeeping that this parasite primar ily affects drone brood, not bee brood; and the second, proposed by the authors of the article, is to use synthetical ly obtained drone brood pheromone as part of adhesive cairomone traps during the absence of drone brood – be fore it appears in spring or disappears in autumn. Their use in beekeeping will, in our opinion, effectively combat the Varroa mite without harming honey bees, humans and the environment in general.