Biotechnical Control of Varroa in Honey Bee Colonies: A Trade-Off between Sustainable Beekeeping and Profitability?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Beekeeping is an important economic activity but the sector suffers from both technical and economic problems. One of the main threats affecting honey bees is the Varroa destructor mite. To improve beekeeping farm sustainability, low-environmental-impact control of this mite is recommended. This paper examines different methods applied for the control of Varroa on Italian beekeeping farms both in terms of operations carried out in apiaries and net income, focusing on biotechniques. First, our analyses provide a detailed overview of each biotechnique and the organic and conventional treatments used to fight Varroa. Then, by highlighting the higher net income of farms applying biotechniques, we show that a trade-off need not be made between sustainable techniques and farm profitability. It is possible to achieve a long-term reduction in Varroa infestation while obtaining zero-residue bee products and respecting environmental and human health in compliance with European and national regulations and guidance. ABSTRACT: Beekeeping faces several challenges, such as the Varroa mite. Few studies have measured the economic performance of farms in relation to the practices used for Varroa control. Our study analyzed various biotechniques (total brood removal, TBR; queen caging, QC; royal cell insertion, CI) and other methods (chemical treatments, CT; thymol use, THY) adopted by Italian beekeepers to show whether the adoption of biotechniques leads to farm profitability or a necessary trade-off between sustainability and profitability. Beekeepers were interviewed about the methods and operations conducted on their farms. The net incomes (NIs) of the farms were calculated and inter- and intrafarm comparisons were performed. A detailed schema of each practice was designed. The net income derived from TBR was the highest in eight out of the nine case studies, followed by CI and then QC. The NI calculated for farms using CT was lower than that for farms using other methods in two of the case studies. We also analyzed different biotechniques applied by the same farm and found that the NI resulting from TBR was higher than that achieved from the use of QC and CI. Our study suggests that use of biotechniques represents a long-term sustainable solution for reducing the level of Varroa infestation, which affects farm net income.