Mite biter queens. 2017

van from Arkansas · November 24, 2019, 11:00:19 PM

What ever happen to the new solution to Varroa in 2017: a queen that produced bees that would bite and kill the mites. The queens were hard to obtain, sold out by May at a premium price; $60-$80 a piece not including shipping.

Now I cannot find any advertising of; at the time the talk of the forums. YouTube videos with 50,000 views of the new mite biter. The fad fizzled, the bees did not control Varroa but did make a lot of money for about 6 beekeepers who are now quiet about their wiz bang queens. Those queens were a dud, just ordinary queens, it was all a lie.

Blessings
Van

FloridaGardener · November 24, 2019, 11:18:31 PM

Van, my best VSH girl's crew are great mite biters. So are her daughters. Powdered sugar rolls are 1 or 2 mites per 1/2 cup of bees. Even if I'm off by 300%...not a bad count. Way lower than the bee club bees that were bred from treated stock.

I'm not sure what the special circumstances are in the Florida Panhandle, but more than half of the beeks I know here are chemical free. It isn't that I've never seen mites. Maybe what helps (in part) is:

1. Hot summers. There's some thought that mites don't lay so much when heat index is over 100. Of course neither do queen bees, so maybe there's a brood break.
2. LOTS of feral colonies around. Meaning, feral drones from survivor stock are fathering the progeny in splits.
3. Some beeks do feral cutouts, then sell those bees, which are then are "domesticated" and split.
4. The biggest commercial op is 30 miles away. Maybe their mites stay up there with 'em.
5. Non-treatment beeks with 10-80 hives use screened bottom boards.
6. Palmettos, anoles, and even some brown scorpions are around to eat up mites that fall out of SBBs.
7. Many non-treatment beeks are foundationless (ref: the "small cell" theory).
8. People say, they lose a few colonies with chemicals, and they lose a few without chemicals. "Might as well save the $$$ on chemicals." (Notice this is not an "eco/green" choice - it's a choice to save the greenbacks, LOL.)

herbhome · November 25, 2019, 08:06:26 PM

Van,

You've got me interested. Maybe someone who bought into this line will post their experience.

Ben Framed · November 25, 2019, 10:45:44 PM

Quote from: herbhome on November 25, 2019, 08:06:26 PM
Van,

You've got me interested. Maybe someone who bought into this line will post their experience.

I am interested also.
Phillip

van from Arkansas · November 25, 2019, 11:29:03 PM

Google search of MITE BITER QUEENS
First link is my post to beemaster January 2018,,, all queens sold out for the year. For 2019 there is only one link to mite bitter queens. If the queens were real, they should be 100 of adds not just one.
Blessings

Ben Framed · November 25, 2019, 11:43:49 PM

You might find this interesting four minute video from New River Honey Bees. Video was posted exactly a year ago today.

https://youtu.be/8Xq_VD4pLtk

van from Arkansas · November 26, 2019, 10:05:15 AM

Man o man, would I like to get my hands on that queen. She is impressive.
Blessings

Ben Framed · November 26, 2019, 10:50:20 AM

Quote from: van from Arkansas on November 26, 2019, 10:05:15 AM
Man o man, would I like to get my hands on that queen. She is impressive.
Blessings

Yes she is, but I know a fellow over in Arkansas who raises queens via AI-II who also raises some wonderful queens. He won?t sell you one, but I bet he will give you one because he is doing it for the love of bees and people. Steady striving to raise even better bees along with helping educate beekeepers. I will be glad to hook you up with him?

Blessings
Phillip

Nock · November 26, 2019, 09:56:24 PM

Quote from: Ben Framed on November 26, 2019, 10:50:20 AM
Quote from: van from Arkansas on November 26, 2019, 10:05:15 AM
Man o man, would I like to get my hands on that queen. She is impressive.
Blessings

Yes she is, but I know a fellow over in Arkansas who raises queens via AI-II who also raises some wonderful queens. He won?t sell you one, but I bet he will give you one because he is doing it for the love of bees and people. Steady striving to raise even better bees along with helping educate beekeepers. I will be glad to hook you up with him?
Blessings
Phillip

If I?m ever over that way I?d like to met him as well.

van from Arkansas · November 26, 2019, 10:52:18 PM

All are welcome. Give me notice and I can come up with some queens for whoever. But actually in Spring or summer, I have extra queen every day. Kept in nucs and being evaluated. Don?t even offer money, I might get mad.
Blessings

Ben Framed · November 27, 2019, 08:42:44 AM

Mr. Van, I am going to post a link below from a YouTube video made by JoeMay. This is a live chat video. The feature speaker is Jay Hazelsmart. Jay is a Tennessee bee inspector. There are some heavy hitters featured on this chat. I will give you some highlights. Jason from Little river honeybees.Discusses the mite bitter bees. He AI / II Sue Colby queens among others. There were other topics discussed including AFB. Mite treatments and the ineffectiveness of OAV, (by Jay the Tn inspector), where there is capped brood. Also Langford from woolly bees is on this chat! He discusses the PVC entry portals and how effective they have been proven to be against SHB. He says 100 percent effective in his experimental hives. I will warn you this video is 1 1/2 hours long. But for those who are interested I am posting the link.
Blessings, Phillip

https://youtu.be/tCDS0GJhgTs