Counting varroa mites -- what fun

[Cindi]

Tallied my varroa mite count, over a 3 day period, as per Mite Gone instructions, using sticky boards.  Get a load of the results:

Overwintered colony  -- 3
(2 pound package bees)
Package 1 -- 4 mites
Package 2 -- 50 mites
Package 3  -- 1 mites
Package 4 -- 16 mites

Five frame nucs
Nuc 1 -- 6 mites
Nuc 2 -- 14 mites
Nuc 3 -- 4 mites
Nuc 4 -- 10 mites

So far, I venture the mite levels are pretty low, but not to say that they will take off and get higher.  There is no need for any chemical intervention, I will check mite levels again in a couple of weeks, I think counting mites is fun (LOL&L). 

I made my own sticky boards out of styrene that I purchased from a sign shop, drew 2 inch squares on them, a use a clicker counter for counting and use a magnifying glass that is like a little cap that sits on my head.  It sure was simple to count the mites compared to last fall when I had so many.

I must say that I look like a real winner when I am counting mites at my kitchen table.  Gotta laugh over that one, my daughter told me that she thought I was really, really weird.  That made my day.  Have a great day, great life and lots of fun, great health.  Cindi

[Zoot]

Cindi,

Was that simply the result of unstimulated mite fall or did you do a sugar shake over the frames?

[DayValleyDahlias]

Hi Cindi,

What do you place on the board to make it sticky?  What do you treat your bees with?

Thanks!

[Cindi]

It was the "natural 72 hour mite drop" no chemicals, no sugar.  This is per instructions on the Mite Gone site, I use his formic acid pads.

This is how I treat for mites, twice per year (and maybe in the early spring if the mite counts are high, but should be unlikely).

After the honeyflow and there is no honey for human consumption in the hive and before it is too late to treat with formic acid.  The formic acid pads are placed in the hive.  Usually beginning of September (if mite counts require treatment).  The F.A. is heavier than air, the fumes fall to the bottom of the hive, the bees are irritated by it, fan like crazy and it is spread throughout the colony, killing mites outside of the cells.  Formic acid is found in nature, and traces of it can be found in honey, we all know that.  It is an effective and worldwide used product. 

Then Oxalic acid is used when the colony is broodless, which in our area would be around December 1.  This will kill most of the  mites on the bees.  After this second treatment (to catch any mites that Formic acid missed) there is no brood for any remaining mites to breed in their cells.  The mites die, cannot reproduce.  So, if this plan is followed, there should be very low mite counts in the spring (if any).  By the way, we were taught that absolutely no chemical treatments of any kind should be used in the colonies after 45 days before the onset of anticipated honeyflow  Number one rule of beekeeping and chemicals.

The bee breeders that I got the packages and nucs from told me that they did treat in the fall and early spring, hence the low mite levels I see now.  Not to say that the levels will/may increase.  I do not use small cell.  My Asian instructor who operates 1,200 colonies does not believe in small cell.  He maintains that there is not enough research to warrant any regression to small cell at his farm, I follow his example.  But that is simply a personal preference, and in my own mind, that is how I will operate.  Many of our forum friends have small cells and they do well, and maintain that it is excellent for varroa mite control.  That is good.  To each his own.

I will be keeping a good monitor on mite levels this year.  After losing 10 colonies to effects of the varroa destructor, I have no desire to enter into that world again.  If I find mite levels getting high, I will use the sugar shake method.  I believe that this is excellent to use when chemicals cannot/should not be used in the hives.

Have a wonderful day, great life, excellent health.  Cindi

[Kathyp]

wow cindi...you said what i'd try to say, but way better!!  :-)

i do about the same only i use apiguard. apiguad is from thymol. no OA, although i may yet try it. this winter was not a particularly good one to try spraying anything in the hive  :-P.

[Cindi]

Kathy, you mentioned "spraying anything in the hive".  I think that you were referring to using Oxalic Acid.  The O.A. treatment is performed in two ways, vapourizing and trickling in a sugar syrup mixture.  The vapourizing does not spray anything, it causes vapour (mist?).  The trickle is so minute when you think of the number of bees, that there is no harm.  The dosage is maximum of 50 ml per hive.  Each frame has 5 ml of oxalic acid trickled over them.  It is diminished within a very short time and the amount is so tiny that it does not chill the bees.  One must think of how warm the bees keep their winter cluster.

Oxalic acid is trickled or vapourized when the bees no longer have brood present, this can be performed in cold weather, it only takes a moment or two with the lid off the hive, or if vapourizing, the device is inserted in the front entrance, so the lid does not even come off the hive body.  The bees quickly re-warm their home, if one trickles. If there was brood present, then O.A. would be a problem, there is a high likelihood that the acid would kill the brood.

People refer to these two chemicals as chemicals.  They actually are, but did you know?  Both Formic and Oxalic acid are found in nature?  Google it, they are in some ways a "natural", but in extremely high concentrations.  These methods are used extensively in Europe (and of course worldwide) and are definite stand bys for treatment of mites.  These are my treatments and my mind will never change.  They are not even close to the other type of chemicals that are used in the hive that can contaminate the wax and be really bad, ones that the bees have built up much resistance to.  They will not build up resistance to Formic and Oxalic acid.  Have a wonderful day, great life, great health wishes to all.  Cindi

[DayValleyDahlias]

This is very helpful information, for a newbee, who's hives do not have small cell yet...this looks like a way to go until small cell can be attained.

Grazie Mille

[newbee101]

My 1st year I counted over 10,000 mites. Of course the hive died.
I stopped because of the time involved and it started to bother my eyes.

[Michael Bush]

>Both Formic and Oxalic acid are found in nature?

Both Formic and Oxalic acid are found in HONEY!

[Cindi]

Michael, yep, that is an very interesting fact.  I know that these amounts are miniscule, but indeed cool that they are present in these trace amounts.  Have a wonderful day, great health, Cindi