EPA Registers New Miticide to Combat Varroa Mites in Bees
EPA is registering a new miticide, oxalic acid, to
combat the devastating effects of the Varroa mite on honey bee colonies.
Oxalic acid is currently registered for this use in Canada and Europe.
Recognizing beekeepers’ need for additional registered tools to combat
the Varroa mite in U.S. honey bee colonies, the EPA collaborated with
the U.S. Department of Agricultureon the registration.
Consistent with President Obama’s 2014 initiative on pollinator health,
which instructed the EPA to expedite review of registration
applications for new products targeting pests harmful to pollinators,
OPP expedited the review of the application. EPA was able to expedite
its evaluation in part due to a NAFTA “work share” agreement,
which allowed Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency to
share their data reviews with EPA risk assessors and risk managers.
Oxalic acid was registered in Canada for in-hive control of Varroa mites
in 2010. EPA also had an established database of oxalic acid studies
from its previous registration as an antimicrobial pesticide.
EPA used the existing data and information from PMRA, including updated
reviews of toxicity, dietary exposure, environmental fate and transport,
and product chemistry data. After a thorough evaluation of all the
data, EPA concurred with the conclusions and registration decision made
by our Canadian colleagues.
Varroa mites are parasites that feed on developing bees leading to brood
mortality and reduced lifespan of worker bees. They also transmit
numerous honeybee viruses. The health of a colony can be critically
damaged by an infestation of Varroa mites. If left untreated, the colony
will likelydie.
More information on this regulatory action can be found at www.regulations.gov in Docket ID:EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0043.
Find out about other EPA efforts to address pollinator loss: http://www2.epa.gov/pollinator-protection.
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