The collapse of honey bee colonies is a major problem for Canada and the world. Important crops such as oilseed rape, blueberries, cranberries, almonds, pears and apples, among others, depend on this industrious insect for their pollination. Unfortunately, the Varroa destructor mite feeds on bees in their adult and juvenile stages, weakening them and transmitting deadly viral infections that cause colony collapse.

Colony replacement costs, the least of our concerns, run to about $400 million a year in Canada and the United States combined. The most worrisome cost, the loss of pollination and the honey harvest business, and the consequent decline in fruit harvests, amounts to losses in the billions annually. Beekeepers treat colonies for varroa mites each year, when mite levels rise in spring and fall, but outbreaks become more difficult to control.

There are only five widely used treatment options. One of them is showing signs of resistance, and two treatments are corrosive and difficult to apply. To prevent the appearance of resistance in mites and maintain good control of them, it is necessary to have effective integrated pest management (IPM) schemes, which require the use of several treatment options in rotation. A Genome BC-funded project, Identification of target sites for a new acaricide against the honey bee parasite, Varroa destructor, offers a novel and urgently needed tool in IPM.

“A new Varroa miticide has been discovered that does not visibly harm bees and has no adverse effects on vertebrates,” says Dr. Erika Plettner, co-director of the project and Professor of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University. "Our project aims to discover the efficacy of this new compound, which we urgently need to see approved and put into practice." Plettner is collaborating with Dr. Leonard Foster, co-director of the project and professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories at UBC, to apply proteomics tools to identify the molecular target and determine how, when and where it can be applied.

The anticipated impact of this research will be a game changer in the beekeeping industry and beyond. Information on the target site of the new compound in mites is vital for registration with the health authorities, the greatest barrier to market entry for this new acaricide. Understanding the destination and the mechanism of interaction will help the team and end users to further improve the product, its formulation and the application schedule in integrated pest management plans.

“Food safety is one of the main concerns of countries around the world,” said Federica Di Palma, Scientific Director and Vice President of Sectors at Genome BC. "About a third of crops depend on bee pollination and addressing mite resistance is a big step forward in safeguarding colonies."

The project will run until September 2023, so that the first learnings can be applied in the next cycle of field tests. The project has been funded through Genome BC's new Pilot Innovation Fund (PIF).