The use of homeopathy in beekeeping to increase the resistance of the bee families against Varroasis

The aim of this work was to test the efficiency of homeopathy to improve the resistance against Varroasis of honeybee families treated also with block brood and Api-Bioxal® (based on oxalic acid), drug allowed in organic beekeeping. The trial was repeated for two years in two different apiaries placed in the same area. In both trials 20 honeybee colonies, homogeneous for consistency and mite infestation level, were selected. In both trials all queens were young, born in same year, sister and marked. The 20 families were divided in two groups: 10 were treated approximately every 2 months with Calcarea Sulphurica 200 CH sprayed on the combs (C), whereas the others 10 only with water (W). Both groups were treated in summer with block brood and Api-Bioxal®, and in autumn only with Api-Bioxal®. We recorded the incidences of Varroa destructor by recording the natural mite fall, in different sampling periods, every 3 days for 7 sampling times. All data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA, considering the group as fixed factor, the trial, the sampling period and the sampling time as at random factors, and the natural mite fall every 3 days as variable factor. In both trials, after the brood block and Api-Bioxal® treatments, the natural mite fall resulted lower in C group, but only after summer Api-Bioxal® treatment this difference became relevant (1458.2 A vs. 822.4 C first trial; 484.2 A vs. 290.5 C second trial). The mite fall count resulted significantly different between groups in the different sampling periods, and, on both trials, it resulted also significantly different inside every sampling time. Considering that block brood followed by Api-Bioxal® treatment has an efficiency of 89,4% on Varroa destructor elimination, as reported in the literature, the smaller mite fall in group C, in both experimental trials, seemed to demonstrate a good efficiency of homeopathic remedy on increasing the resistance of families, probably due to a reached balance of honeybees with their parasites.