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Volume 15
Issue 13
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Article

The Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oil Vapors and its Effect on the Varroa Mite Varroa destructor

by
Nikoletta G. Ntalli
1,2,*,
Maria Samara
1,
Theodoros Stathakis
1,
Myrto Barda
1,
Eleftheria Kapaxidi
3,
Elektra Manea-Karga
4,
Sofia Gounari
5,
Georgios Goras
6,
Konstantinos M. Kasiotis
4 and
Filitsa Karamaouna
1
1
Laboratory of Efficacy Evaluation of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 Stefanou Delta Str., 14561 Athens, Greece
2
Analytical Chemistry and Pesticides Laboratory, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
3
Laboratory of Acaralogy and Agricultural Zoology, Scientific Directorate of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 Stefanou Delta Str., 14561 Athens, Greece
4
Laboratory of Pesticides’ Toxicology, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 Stefanou Delta Str., 14561 Athens, Greece
5
Laboratory of Apiculture, Institute of Mediterranean & Forest Ecosystems, ELGO DHMHTRA, 11528 Athens, Greece
6
Laboratory of Sericulture and Apiculture, School of Plant Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos str 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2025, 15(13), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131379 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 April 2025 / Revised: 22 June 2025 / Accepted: 26 June 2025 / Published: 27 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Νatural compounds such as lactic, acetic, formic, and oxalic acid and thymol are currently registered for use against Varroa destructor in apiaries in Europe. Complex botanical extracts are yet to be authorized, despite their beneficial ecofriendly profile and advantages in terms of resistance management. This study examined the fumigant activity of the essential oil (EO) of oregano, clove, lavender, dittany, bay laurel, sweet orange, peppermint, blue gum, and lemon balm against V. destructor in laboratory bioassays (Petri dishes). The most effective EOs were those of Origanum vulgare, Syzygium aromaticum, and Origanum dictamnus. These three EOs yielded 33.75% carvacrol, 58.64% eugenol, and 69.77% carvacrol and exhibited significant activity from 18 h of exposure to 0.0013 μL/cm until 48 h of exposure to 0.0068 μL/cm3. Origanum vulgare’s first calculated LC50 value was 0.003 μL/cm3 after 24 h of mites’ exposure to EO vapors. The LC50 values stabilized for oregano, clove, and dittany at 0.001, 0.002, and 0.002 μL/cm3 of 24 h exposure, respectively. This first indication of fumigant miticidal activity in Petri dishes is a promising first step before scaling up to field experiments.
Keywords: botanical acaricides; natural miticides; bees; apiculture botanical acaricides; natural miticides; bees; apiculture

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ntalli, N.G.; Samara, M.; Stathakis, T.; Barda, M.; Kapaxidi, E.; Manea-Karga, E.; Gounari, S.; Goras, G.; Kasiotis, K.M.; Karamaouna, F. The Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oil Vapors and its Effect on the Varroa Mite Varroa destructor. Agriculture 2025, 15, 1379. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131379

AMA Style

Ntalli NG, Samara M, Stathakis T, Barda M, Kapaxidi E, Manea-Karga E, Gounari S, Goras G, Kasiotis KM, Karamaouna F. The Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oil Vapors and its Effect on the Varroa Mite Varroa destructor. Agriculture. 2025; 15(13):1379. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131379

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ntalli, Nikoletta G., Maria Samara, Theodoros Stathakis, Myrto Barda, Eleftheria Kapaxidi, Elektra Manea-Karga, Sofia Gounari, Georgios Goras, Konstantinos M. Kasiotis, and Filitsa Karamaouna. 2025. "The Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oil Vapors and its Effect on the Varroa Mite Varroa destructor" Agriculture 15, no. 13: 1379. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131379

APA Style

Ntalli, N. G., Samara, M., Stathakis, T., Barda, M., Kapaxidi, E., Manea-Karga, E., Gounari, S., Goras, G., Kasiotis, K. M., & Karamaouna, F. (2025). The Acaricidal Activity of Essential Oil Vapors and its Effect on the Varroa Mite Varroa destructor. Agriculture, 15(13), 1379. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15131379

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