Can you help me with this sick hive???

[rdy-b]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200124&highlight=mite+syndrome

[annette]

I thank you all for the support and help. I will try to do the menthol treatments also and will contact mann lake for help.

Should I be doing menthol on my strong hive also, just in case they may have something????

I plan on slapping a grease patty on both hives as this cannot hurt anything.

Annette

[Michael Bush]

In your PM you said:

>No, then it is not k wings on the hives. Just wings that are open and closed. So I guess my strong hive is ok. Also Michael I did a powdered sugar treatment on the weak hive only this morning and counted about 40 mites after 1 hour. Will count again tomorrow. That doesn't seem like a lot of mites?Huh

40 Varroa mites in an hour?  That's a pretty large amount of mites.

>Can the strong hive catch the disease from the weak hive???

They will already have mites.  The mites will already be carring DVM by now.  But it's already not bothering them.  I'd monitor the Varroa.

>Also, can't I just replace this queen and hope for the best??

Replacing the queen will not correct the Varroa problem.  It may help (in the long run) correct a tracheal mite problem but you don't appear to have that problem.

>Also, what about grease patties (crisco and powdered sugar mixed together)

It will do nothing for the Varroa mites. That's a tracheal mite treatment.

>would it be a good idea to place one on the hive???

I wouldn't bother since Tracheal mites do not appear to be the problem, nor would I use the menthol.

I think you have a lot of Varroa and they have given them DWV and few hives survive if they are seriously infected with that.  But I would focus on the problem (Varroa) and not further stress them trying to treat something else (Tracheal mites).

[rdy-b]

  ;) 8-) 8-) 8-)

[Brian D. Bray]

Try giving them a water source at the hive that is treated with mint or someother source of menthol.  A boardman feeder should work in this case.  The bees using menthol tainted water will get into the bees as they transport the water through the hive.  Once inside the bee the menthol can kill the trachael mites. 

If that doesn't work I would suggest it's time to bite the bullet.  Close up the hive at night and destroy the bees.  You want to do this at night so that all of the forager bees are killed also, otherwise they will drift to another hive and spread the trachael mite infection. 

Some driftying is already occurring so I would suggest you treat all of your hives for trachael mites anyway.  Not to do so could mean losing all your hives.