Question about Varroa Mite control

sweet bee · June 05, 2011, 10:59:45 PM

When is the best time to treat for varroa? Can I treat to prevent or do I have to wait until I see evidence of mites?

~Angie

iddee · June 05, 2011, 11:13:12 PM

Treating to prevent is both harmful to the hive and a waste of money. Plus, it helps the mites to build up immunity to the treatment.

Wait until a mite check shows the need for a treatment.

Michael Bush · June 05, 2011, 11:39:14 PM

The last time I treated ANY of mine for Varroa was 2003. The last time I treated some of them was 2001... the time I treated for Varroa before that was... never.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beescerts.htm

BjornBee · June 05, 2011, 11:50:05 PM

Quote from: sweet new-bee on June 05, 2011, 10:59:45 PM
When is the best time to treat for varroa? Can I treat to prevent or do I have to wait until I see evidence of mites?

~Angie

You need to define your IPM and exactly what your definition of "treatment" is.

I don't use chemical mite treatments.
I don't even bother with smallcell anymore.

But I do "treat" my bees. I treat in many ways that are designed to mimic and benefit from natural tendencies of what bees do in nature. Young queens, controlled swarming, culling of the weak and perpetuation of the strongest, trait selection, and many factors go into it. "Treatment" is a yearlong process that never really stops. It is a total management concept relying not on any one "silver bullet" or treatment.

Have a hive that has mite problems......change the queen to better stock. I have many hives that have no problems with mites. So what is the difference between the normal hive that has no mite problems and the few that do? Genetics. So unlike many beekeepers who dump chemicals in the hive as a problem is recognized, I would rather fix the underlying cause of the problem. By "treating" by most definitions (using chemicals) you never corrected the problem. You just perpetuated a problem and decided to have it be a reoccurring event pushed off till another day.

sweet bee · June 06, 2011, 12:23:36 AM

I have to hives that were installed 4 weeks ago. both with SBB with the IPM boards. No mite problem yet ( as far as I know). But with so much to learn, I just don't want to overlook anything. So for someone so extremly new to this, what are some tips to avoid problems with mites, SHB, etc?

Finski · June 06, 2011, 01:52:17 AM

.
Best varroa stuffs are now oxalic acid, thymol and formic acid.
There is no prove that mites may form immunity to these stuffs.

Mites are allways there. It is good if the level is so low that you do not see them.
When I have seen under 10 mites in my 20 hives during summer, in autumn every hive will have 300 dead mites on floor when I treat them.'

Mite control is simple in the climate where hives ´have a 100% brood brake. 80% of mites are under brood cappings and no stuff affects in sealed brood.

Varroa is a serious matter. Even if I have had mites 25 yeears, I lost last winter 30 % of my hives and mites reduced many others size of winter cluster so that spring build up was slow.

Finski · June 06, 2011, 01:56:50 AM

Quote from: BjornBee on June 05, 2011, 11:50:05 PM
Have a hive that has mite problems......change the queen to better stock. I have many hives that have no problems with mites. So what is the difference between the normal hive that has no mite problems and the few that do? Genetics. So unlike many beekeepers who dump chemicals in the hive as a problem is recognized, I would rather fix the underlying cause of the problem. By "treating" by most definitions (using chemicals) you never corrected the problem. You just perpetuated a problem and decided to have it be a reoccurring event pushed off till another day.

Now used chemicals are safe to use. Just a while ago some guys recommend to use thymold to every problem but not no against varroa. Too strong feeleings in this matter.