Lithium chloride effectively kills the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor by a systemic mode of action.

ABSTRACT: Honey bees are increasingly important in the pollination of crops and wild plants. Recent reports of the weakening and periodical high losses of managed honey bee colonies have alarmed beekeeper, farmers and scientists. Infestations with the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in combination with its associated viruses have been identified as a crucial driver of these health problems. Although yearly treatments are required to prevent collapses of honey bee colonies, the number of effective acaricides is small and no new active compounds have been registered in the past 25 years. RNAi-based methods were proposed recently as a promising new tool. However, the application of these methods according to published protocols has led to a surprising discovery. Here, we show that the lithium chlo

SUBMITTER: Ziegelmann B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5766531 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature