Bees are exposed to constant danger of various pathogens. Parasitic diseases are serious problems, including the Varroa mite in particular a major threat. Eastern Europe, including Hungary and Romania, the family of bees were contaminated with these parasites. The bee’s treatment frequently uses vegetable products with volatile oil with the fractions like thymol, menthol, eucalyptol. Such a romanian product has among other volatile oils and with volatile oil of Artemisia annua. Initially the oil was obtained from own production (Mures County), later used to cover the demand and oil were imported (China). This paper presents a comparative gas chromatographic analysis of the two oils. The main compounds in indigenous volatile oil are arthemisia ketone, 1,8 cineole and camphor, while 1,8 cineole and beta pinene dominate in imports oils. Analyzing the nature of the volatile oil fractions we found the presence of cyclic monoterpenes (arthemisia ketone, a cyclic diene), and in imported oil dominates a cyclic monoterpenes (1.8 cineol). The difference is explained by habitat, different geographical area that was cultivated species producing.
Keywords: bees, Varroa mite, Artemisia annua, gaschromatography