Project description DEENESFRITPL Saving bees with proper heat The Varroa mite is one of the most harmful pests of honeybees worldwide, responsible for up to 30 % of their mortality. As conventional chemical treatments pose no less danger for honeybees, there is a need for an environmentally safe, sustainable alternative to eliminate the Varroa parasite. However, existing techniques are still far from offering enough effective choices. The EU-funded VATOREX project will provide revolutionary change with the Varroa treatment solution based on different heat tolerances of bees and parasites. Thanks to the advanced technology, the Vatorex-System enables an easy, safe, pesticide-free, ecological and more efficient fight to save honeybee populations from the varroa mite, while keeping low sanitary costs and impacts for beekeepers. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Currently, honeybee mortality rates range from 5% to almost 30% depending on the country and the year, being some of the main causes the Varroa mite. This parasite is currently treated with chemicals, which are considered a necessary evil by a population of beekeepers that considers chemical treatments largely as a threat because themselves are a cause for the bees’ population decline. In view of these problems, other alternatives have been researched for decades, being the hyperthermia the methodology with highest potential to displace the use of chemicals. However, until now the current commercial solutions based on hyperthermia principles are not an alternative to chemical products due to a lower efficiency.Vatorex AG is a small Swiss company committed to improve the bees’ health. The new business has started off as an association in 2015 and provides beekeepers with an eco-friendly solution to protect their hives from their greatest enemy: the Varroa mite.We have developed an eco-friendly solution to kill the Varroa mites by using a natural principle of different heat tolerances of bees and varroa. In a range between 39°C - 42°C the parasite dies while the bees survive unharmed. In contrast to other hyperthermia systems, Vatorex-System heats the brood combs directly from the inside thanks to a heating coil that acts like a floor-heating. Vatorex-System has proven to be an effective treatment directly in the beehive (95% of male mites and nymphs die at 41ºC within 2 hours of treatment). The Vatorex-System means a reduction of sanitary cost of 66% per hive and a 18% in total cost of honey production that entails a total saving impact for the approximately 600,000 European beekeepers and their 17 million of hives. Vatorex is fully aligned with the European policy initiatives in biodiversity and pollinator protection such as European long-term survival strategy or the objectives of the EU Habitat directive. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresocial sciencessociologydemographymortalitynatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologyapidologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems Programme(s) H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs Main Programme H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies Topic(s) EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 - SME instrument Call for proposal H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1 Funding Scheme SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1 Coordinator VATOREX AG Net EU contribution € 50 000,00 Address ATTIKERSTRASSE 10 8542 Wiesendangen Switzerland See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 71 429,00
