Sucrose Octanoate is a synthetic sugar ester, also known as acyl sugars or polyol
esters, they have started to become used as insecticides and they are being used against the varroa mite in the treatment of honey bees.
are a relatively new
class of insecticidal compounds.
They are combinations of sugars
and fatty acids. A paper by
Gary Puterka et al. (2003)J.
Econ. Entomol. 96(3):636-644
describes some tests that they
ran with many related sugar
esters. Sucrose octanoate,
being sold by the Dadant & Sons
beekeeping supply company,
turned out to be the most
effective against phytophagous
mites. It has a detergent or
soap like effect, so it was
compared to M-Pede (equivalent
to a 2X dose of Safer Soap).
The sucrose octanoate won the
contest. That ester already is
used in human food preparation,
so it is likely considered GRAS
(Generally Regarded As Safe)
around food. If you have the
time and the patience, apparently
spraying the chemical on
combs of bees does a very good
job of controlling exposed
Varroa mites.
