A six-month-long assessment of the health of bee colonies treated with APITHOR™ hive beetle insecticide

The safety of APITHOR™ hive beetle insecticide on the health of honey bee colonies was assessed in a field trial in which 16 bee colonies that were exposed to two consecutive treatments each of three-months duration, were compared with 10 untreated (control) hives. Measurements of brood area, available hive frames occupied by bees (hive strength) and hive weight (as an indirect indicator of honey production) were recorded pre-treatment and after three- and six-months exposure to APITHOR™ treatment. Samples of honey and wax collected from six of the treated hives at the same times were independently tested for the presence of fipronil and its metabolites, and no residues were detected in any sample at either time. Mean net increases in the weights of the APITHOR™ treated and control hives were not significantly different (p > .05). Similarly, neither mean brood area nor the mean proportion of available hive frames occupied by bees in the control and APITHOR™ treated hives was significantly different from e...