WHAT NOW?

[COLVIN]

I LOOKED INTO THE HIVE THIS WEEKEND AND THE OUEEN HAS BEGUN TO LAY BROOD. ALL LOOKS WELL. I REVERSED THE HIVE BODIES TO PUT HER ON THE BOTTOM. I HOPE THIS IS OK. ALSO COUNTED ABOUT 50 VARROA MITE IN A 48 HOUR DROP. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW? I HAVE GREASE PATTY ON FOR TRACIAL MITE. THE TEMPS NOW ARE CLOSE TO EIGHTY AND THE FRUIT TREES AND POPULAR ARE BEGINNING TO BLOOM OUT. BEES ARE ON THE FRUIT & WILD MUSTARD. ANY THING ELSE TO DO NOW? I WANT TO SLIT THIS HIVE IN A FEW WEEKS. COLVIN

[Robo]

I would say you need to address the mite issue as it seems high to me for the Spring.  I have heard estimates that 1 mite in the spring will equate to 200 mites by Fall if untreated.

[Finsky]

Mite amount is high. If you make split you may use this method. It seems reasonable.  Otherwise at autumn you may have catastrophe in front of you.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/dronemethod.html

Let them raise a frame of drone larvas

Move hive 10 feet away.

Put empty hive in old site and there is queen and drone larva frame.

Bees fly themselves into the new hive. Mites go into cells when it is time to cap them. When all drones are capped take frame away and destroy larvas with water jet. Put frame into queen's hive and let it lay eggs into drone cells.

Then you have a hive half which have no queen. They start to raise emergengy queen. When after one week larvae are away split that hive again and put the dronelarva frame inside. So mites have only dronelarvas and they go into brood cells. So you have again pure guater of bees and you may put them together to hive which have the queen, or give them  another queen.

When the rest brood have emerged in "second nuc" handle it with oxalic or give to it "trap frame".  During 3 weeks you get rip of mites.

You must kill the rest drone pupas from frames because they live 4 weeks and they contain mites.

[bassman1977]

My sticky board instructions say if you have over 100 mites in 24 hours you should start treating.  If that's the case, you're looking at an average of 25 mites in 24 hours.  I wouldn't worry about it until fall personally.

[COLVIN]

how do i let them raise a frame of drone lavae ?
colvin

[Finsky]

how do i let them raise a frame of drone lavae ?
colvin

You give to hive  a fame where it is a narrow strip of foundation or you cut from old comb the lower part away. When bees have a big free gap they draw  it full of drone combs.  

I use to make mite trap that I put medium foundation to Langstroth frame.  There you have 2" gap and bees rise  there drones. When bees have  capped combs I cut them off.

[Robo]

You can also buy drone foundation or drone pierco frames
http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1577

[Finsky]

You can also buy drone foundation or drone pierco frames
http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1577

Continuous drone combs are better because mites prefer old combs.

Further more when bees can draw done combs enough, they need not to  make them here and there.

[Jack Parr]

I just recently did a Sucrocide treatment to two of my hives and in the process destroyed some drone comb with mites enclosed. Some cell had 4-5 mites under the caps. I tore open all the drone cells that I found.

The drone cell are placed in all the wrong places. Between the upper and lower frame space, on the borders of the Pierco frames, in the corners of the frames sorta stretching the worker cells.

I did buy some drone foundation as part of my IPM program but Finsky's suggestion for installing a medium frame in a deep to provide for drone cell space is a good one. I think I'll try that first rather than installing an entire deep frame just for drone laying.

[Finsky]

a medium frame in a deep to provide for drone cell space is a good one. I think I'll try that first rather than installing an entire deep frame just for drone laying.

Drone development is 4 weeks. You should have all the time proper larvae so they catch mites. Whole frame per week is too much.  This system catches 50% of mites.