Mathematical assessment of the potential efficacy of continuous Varroa control strategies

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Recent years have seen drastic losses of honeybee colonies in North America and Europe. The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has been identified as one of the main culprit behind this phenomenon. It is vector to numerous infectious diseases of the honeybee, such as the Acute Bee Paralysis Virus, the Deformed Wing Virus and others, that have been associated with colony failure. Current applications of varroacides to control the vector are labor intensive and disruptive and are mostly applied only a few times per year. In this project, we will develop and use mathematical models to assess whether anti-varroa treatments that utilize continuous dispensing strategies could be more effective than current treatments. For this research we will utilize techniques from ordinary differential equations, optimization, and numerical analysis.