The paper provides information concerning the Lepidoptera occurring in the Lodz Upland. Seventeen species are recorded for the first time, two species have not been recorded since 1960 from the Lodz Upland. The research performed in 2001-2007, took place mainly in the area which lies east of Lodz city and in Spała. The paper is a supplement to the latest faunistic research performed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Varroa mites can be controlled through commercially available miticides, as well as non-chemical means. Our research work has been conducted on plants extracts reducing the mite population. We have obtained promising results for extracts of yew and walnut.
The study aimed at determining the efficacy of controlling Varroa destructor mites with Apitraz strips in honey-bee colonies. Moreover, the amount of an active ingredient (amitraz) freed from the strips during their 6-week-long exposure in colonies was examined. The efficacy of parasite control with Apitraz was high. On the average, 816.37 mites were killed when using Apitraz. The control application of Bayvarol resulted in a fall-off of 5.05 parasites. Assuming the total parasite fall-off as 100%, the efficacy of Apitraz against varroosis amounted to 99.38%. Up to the fourth week of drug administration, over 80% of the mites died in honey-bee colonies. Out of 453.6 mg of the amitraz contained in a micro-layer of two strips, 104 to 223 mg (162 mg on the average) had been freed during their exposure in honey-bee colonies. Regarding the efficacy of varroosis control in honey-bee colonies to the amount of active ingredient freed from the strips that it was determined that it was not conditioned by the amount of freed amitraz (within the range examined), as the calculated coefficient of the correlation was insignificant (r = - 0.77).
The activity of the cymiazol salts of oxalic and boric acids against Ascopharea apis fungi was examined. A method of synthesising cymiazol salts was elaborated. The pathogenic fungi were isolated from honeybees infected with chalk brood. Fungistatic and fungicidal properties of the salts were examined in vitro, though their efficacy was tested in vivo in the infected beehives of honeybee colonies. Although cymiazol oxalate showed a slightly higher inhibiting activity than borate (MIC = 0.008 mol/L and 0.012 mol/L, respectively), the latter is a definitely stronger fungicide (MFC > 0.032 mol/L for oxalate, as compared with 0.012-0.014 mol/L for borate). Used separately, none of these active ingredients (boric acid, oxalic acid, cymiazol) was effective as fungicide, exhibiting only fungistatic properties in tested concentrations. High fungicidal efficacy was displayed only by cymiazol borate. Studies on honeybee colonies confirmed the effectiveness of the salts of cymiazol in treating ascosphaeriosis. After 12-16 days of administering sugar syrup containing these preparations, either a considerable alleviation of the symptoms or even their complete abatement were observed. In families cured with a mixture of cymiazol oxalate and borate a complete abatement of symptoms was obtained. Cymiazol salts can be a valuable and safe supplement of fungicidal formulations used in apiculture.
Additional cymiazole salts and oxalic, salicylic, citric and boric acids were received. The study aimed at determining the efficacy of controlling Varroa destructor mites with these salts and their toxicity for honey-bees. The most effective were the boric acid salts (efficacy up to 98.1%), salicylic acid (efficacy up to 96.0%) and the mixture of boric acid salt and oxalic acid salt (efficacy up to 98.8%). The honeybee colonies were treated with sugar syrup (1:1) containing about 200 mg of salt per 1 dm³. The acute toxicity of these salts was lower than the toxicity of the initial cymiazole. Values of LD₅₀ of the above salts were higher than 100 mg/bee.