A dark red Varroa destructor mite on a white bee larva

A group of entrepreneurs in Mexico have designed a `smart’ system to control the bee pest Varroa destructor. The mite, which lives on bee larvae,  reduces honey production by as 50 percent when it invades a hive.

`The first thing we did was to develop a product based on thymol, a substance contained in natural products such as thyme, which has proved efficient in controlling the mite (Varroa)’ says Leon Guevara, the leader of the group.

The `Electronic Detection System’ is a kind of container. At the top the beekeeper places a thymol tablet in a funnel. Inside, a heating plate automatically controlled by a temperature sensor evaporates the tablet. Finally, a fan disperses the steaming formula into the hive.

Without bees pollinating fruiting plants, for instance, much of our food-producing plants would have to pollinated by hand and harvests would fall dramatically. Bee larvae affected by Varroa infestations can be deformed, die or develop with damaged wings that prevent them from flying.

Mr Guevara is currently designing software that automatically detects the presence of Varroa larvae inside the hive, so that he can fully automate the process.