Acaricide residues in beeswax. Implications in honey, brood and honeybee

For beekeeping to be sustainable, the management of colonies for the production of bee products must be economically viable without endangering the lives of bees, and must include acceptable practices such as the treatment of hives with appropriate products. Occasionally, the use of acaricides to treat the hives against varroosis is uncontrolled and can accumulate in the hives, putting the colonies at risk. In this work, a screening of seven acaricides was carried out in different apiaries in Andalusia (Spain). Their distribution in beeswax, brood, honey, and bees from colonies in different surroundings was evaluated at different times. It was found that beeswax was highly contaminated but honey, brood and bees had acceptable levels, below their respective MRL or LD50, after a certain period following varrocide treatments. Acaricides banned for their use against Varroa, such as chlorfenvinphos, cypermethrin and especially acrinathrin, were found in the hives analysed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-023-11047-6.