Deleterious effect of LiCl on honeybee (Aphis mellifera) grubs and no effect on Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) under normal beekeeping management.

Abstract

A 2-year field experiment was performed to test lithium chloride, LiCl, application in a normal beekeeping management system. The effect of LiCl on bee larval mortality, beehive weight (honey production) and Varroa mite mortality were tested. Spectrometric quantification of Li on honey and the larval body were made to test the effectiveness of the presence of LiCl. Li was detected in bee larval bodies and in honey over 2 years, from 2018 to 2019. According to the results, no effect of LiCl on mite mortality or bee larval mortality was detected in the first year of application. By assessing the weight variation of beehives, only one LiCl-treated hive showed a significantly higher weight, whereas no other differences were detected between treatments and control. The same trend seen in 2018 was repeated in 2019, while a total bee larval mortality was observed after the first LiCl application, and still no differences in Varroa mite mortality were observed. According to these results, it was concluded that LiCl has no effect on Varroa mite mortality during normal beekeeping practice; furthermore, the recommended amount of treatment (25 mM) had a lethal effect (i.e., total mortality) on larvae following repeated applications.