In a major breakthrough for sustainable agriculture and pollinator protection, CH Biotech, in collaboration with Mite Bee Gone LLC, has announced the launch of the first-ever EPA-approved miticide using L-glutamic acid – an amino acid naturally occurring in many living organisms – as an active ingredient against Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite devastating honeybee populations across North America.

This registration, granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 7, marks a significant step forward in combating one of the biggest threats to beekeeping and pollination-dependent agriculture.

A targeted and bee-friendly solution
Unlike most conventional miticides that pose risks to honeybees themselves, CH Biotech’s novel use of L-glutamic acid offers a mite-specific mechanism of action that isn’t toxic to bees, making it a powerful tool in the push for safer, more sustainable apiculture.

“This wasn’t about entering the pest control space for profit,” Francisco Manzano, chief commercial and strategy officer with CH Biotech, told New AG International. “It was about supporting an important sustainability initiative when we saw an opportunity to help a professor with a meaningful goal.”

Varroa mites are described by the University of Minnesota Bee Lab as beekeepers’ “#1 public enemy.” These external parasites latch onto bees, feed on their bodily fluids, and transmit deadly viruses such as deformed wing virus. According to the Honey Bee Health Coalition, “every honeybee colony in the United States and Canada either has Varroa mites today or will have them within several months.”

The mites, along with virus transmission and pesticide exposure, are major contributors to colony collapse disorder (CCD) – a phenomenon that has seen global honeybee populations plummet and garnered widespread media attention due to the essential role bees play in agriculture.

Honeybees pollinate over 130 crops in the U.S., from almonds and apples to berries and melons, contributing more than $15 billion annually to the U.S. agricultural economy, according to the USDA. Effective Varroa management is not just about saving bees – it’s about protecting the global food supply.

Current miticide options are limited and often harmful to the very pollinators they aim to protect. This new L-glutamic acid-based miticide broadens the integrated pest management (IPM) toolbox and provides an alternative that could help delay resistance to existing treatments.

A collaborative effort
Manzano told New AG International that the product was developed with Paul Niemczura, founder of Mite Bee Gone LLC, who originally approached CH Biotech with the idea. The company was already working with L-glutamic acid in its plant growth regulator (PGR) portfolio. Recognizing the compound’s potential for selective mite control, CH Biotech invested in the required studies and regulatory process under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

The result: an approved technical-grade active ingredient (EPA Reg. No. 90866-33) and a ready-to-use delivery format.

The product – marketed as MBG2X5G Strips – is inserted directly into the brood frames of affected hives. These strips target mites where they reproduce: inside sealed brood cells. By delivering the miticide at this critical point in the Varroa lifecycle, the treatment not only kills adult mites but interrupts their reproduction, helping to reduce overall colony infestation.

MBG2X5G Strips will be available in the Mid-Atlantic region by July through specialized beekeeping retailers, with national distribution expected by September.