Impact of the use of fluvalinate on different types of beeswax from Spanish hives.

Acaricides are applied in agriculture as phytosanitary products against pests and in apiculture to control the bee parasite Varroa destructor. Poor apicultural practices could result in an accumulation of residues in honeybees, in the environment, and in beeswax and other bee products by migration from the wax comb into stored honey through a process of diffusion and consequently constitute a potential risk for humans. In this study, six different types of beeswax samples were analysed for the determination of residues of fluvalinate, coumaphos, and bromopropylate and its metabolite 4,4'-dibromobenzophenone, all of which are the most commonly acaricides used by Spanish beekeepers against V.

Determination of synthetic acaricides residues in beeswax by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector.

A multiresidue HPLC method for identification and quantification of the synthetic acaricides fluvalinate, coumaphos, bromopropylate and its metabolite 4,4'-dibromobenzophenone in beeswax has been developed. Different techniques were tested and modified. The method consists of a sample preparation with isooctane followed by solid phase extraction using Florisil columns.

Evaluation of residues of essential oil components in honey after different anti-varroa treatments.

Apiary trials on the use of three different treatments (Apilife Var, thymol solution in olive oil, and thymol solution in ethanol) for the control of Varroa destructor were conducted in Aragon (northeastern Spain). For the evaluation of the presence of residues of these treatments in honey an analytical method was developed. The method is applied to analyze honey samples before and after treatments with the acaricides mentioned.