Varroa Destructor Testing

[keito]

What is the best way to tell if you have any mites. My hives looks good but I want to be proactive.

[Robo]

Not sure of the best,  but what I do is open up 10 of so capped drone cells during inspection.  It is an easy sanity check.   

[BeeMaster2]

We had Jamie Ellis, from UNF, do a talk at our last bee meeting. He talked about testing. If my memory serves me right, he said to take a quart jar, make up a #8 screen for the lid, fill the jar with a full handfull of bees, put the lid on, sprinkle in confectionery sugar to give them a good covering, wait about 5 minutes, pour out the sugar and mites on a white surface. you can then count the mites. No shaking of the bees is necessary. Your bees stay nice and calm and you just turn them loose.
Jim

[carlfaba10t]

 sawdstmakr;                 You say hand full of bees,do you just rake up a hand full or shake off frame into jar? :?

[rober]

i have a 12"x12" piece of sheet metal bent at 90 deg. i shake bees onto that & use it like a funnel.

[AliciaH]

We had Jamie Ellis, from UNF, do a talk at our last bee meeting. He talked about testing. If my memory serves me right, he said to take a quart jar, make up a #8 screen for the lid, fill the jar with a full handfull of bees, put the lid on, sprinkle in confectionery sugar to give them a good covering, wait about 5 minutes, pour out the sugar and mites on a white surface. you can then count the mites. No shaking of the bees is necessary. Your bees stay nice and calm and you just turn them loose.
Jim

Cool suggestion, thank you!  I'll give it a try and pass on the information to our students.  They will like that option better than some of the alternatives.