Student Traumatised By Hive Cleansing Invents Anti-Varroa Shield

A young social entrepreneur has revealed how watching a beekeeper removing hundreds of dead bees from his hive inspired her to develop a nontoxic system to shield the pollinators from parasite infestation.

Today Raina Singhvi Jain from Greenwich in the US State of Connecticut heads beekeeping technology startup HiveGuard.

Picture shows Raina Singhvi Jain from Greenwich in the US State of Connecticut, undated. The company established by Raina – who is allergic to honeybee stings – offers 3D-printed miticidal hive entrance sets at which bees are coated with a plant-based pesticide called thymol every time they access and exit the alveary. (Raina Singhvi Jain, NewsX/Bee)

Reflecting on how it all started in 2018, Raina said: “My parents raised me on the one fundamental principle of to live and let live, to value every life no matter how small.”

“When I took a trip to a bee farm in Connecticut and saw a beekeeper ‘cleaning out his hives,’ I realised that meant taking piles of dead bees that didn’t make it through the winter and throwing them into the bushes.”

Raina revealed she was still reliving this moment. The 20-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants said that back then, she was leaving the farm with the purpose of saving honeybees.

She explained: “I went back to the research lab at my high school and after three full years of working late nights, weekends, and holidays, HiveGuard treatment was created.”

The company established by Raina – who is allergic to honeybee stings – offers 3D-printed miticidal hive entrance sets at which bees are coated with a plant-based pesticide called thymol every time they access and exit the alveary.

Picture shows Raina Singhvi Jain from Greenwich in the US State of Connecticut, undated. The company established by Raina – who is allergic to honeybee stings – offers 3D-printed miticidal hive entrance sets at which bees are coated with a plant-based pesticide called thymol every time they access and exit the alveary. (Raina Singhvi Jain, NewsX/Bee)

Thymol is a monoterpenoid phenol derivative with strong antiseptic properties that is found in thyme oil and various other plants.

Raina told CNN: “As bees pass through the entranceway, the thymol rubs off onto the body of the bee, where ultimately the concentration kills the varroa mites, but the honeybee is left unharmed.”

Varroa destructor is a widespread parasite which reproduces by attaching to the body of the bee. The pollinator gets weaker as the mite sucks its fat-storage cells.

According to Prof Robert Paxton from Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany, the latest variant of the Deformed Wing Virus – which is spread by varroa mites – is the “biggest threat to honeybees right now.”

Raina has experienced overwhelming demand for the thymol entrance kits. They cost USD 30 (EUR 28) each but are currently sold out at the HiveGuard webstore which also features beekeeping starter packages and various kinds of equipment.

Picture shows Raina Singhvi Jain from Greenwich in the US State of Connecticut, undated. The company established by Raina – who is allergic to honeybee stings – offers 3D-printed miticidal hive entrance sets at which bees are coated with a plant-based pesticide called thymol every time they access and exit the alveary. (@raina.qb, NewsX/Bee)

Raina could sit back and pride herself on what she has achieved in just four years. However, she vowed that “the work is far from over.”

Raina stressed: “Honeybees continue to face many existential threats. Although the work is far from over, we’re one step closer. Thank you for your support. The bees and I are forever grateful.”

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