varroa heat treatment?

[herbhome]

Anyone have any experience with this technique or any feedback as to effectiveness?



www.greenbeehives.com/thevictor.html

[little john]

Re-arrange the inside of the hive and then two-and-a-half hours per treatment ! - they've got to be kidding.   And - to add insult to injury - a second treatment is required as the first is only 80% effective.  That's the most impractical idea I've heard in a very long while.  Also - how many hives before the battery needs re-charging ?


Neill, if you do forum search for "Mite Zapper", you'll see that elevated heat treatment has been discussed here several times over the years.  Here's a quote from the Mite Zapper User Manual:

Note Regarding Mite Mortality:
The MiteZapper? works by progressively killing the varroa trapped inside the sealed drone cells, each time you zap your colony. After the 1st zapping you will kill a significant number of varroa mites. The remaining varroa still alive in the colony will be trapped and killed by the 2nd zapping, and so on. By the 3rd or 4th zapping, the number of varroa in the colony will be under control and will be tolerated by the bees.

So - after 4 applications, the number of mites will be "under control" ... whatever that means.  So - that's four generations of drones, reared at a substantial energy investment - and allowed to become knackered by Varroa, just in order to kill those mites.

Contrast 'The Victor' and 'Mite Zapper' approach with a single dose of Oxalic Acid dust generated by Vapourisation, and applied during a broodless period in winter. Whilst not suggesting that this is ever 100% effective, it appears to be the most efficient and cost-effective solution to the Varroa problem at the present time.

The idea of killing of mites by an elevated temperature was first trialled back in 2001.  Sixteen years later, this technique still hasn't been embraced by the wider beekeeping community.  I suspect there's a sound reason for this. 

It certainly doesn't appeal to myself, but - if you should decide to try one of these devices - do let us know how you get on with it.

LJ

[Acebird]

The idea of killing of mites by an elevated temperature was first trialled back in 2001.  Sixteen years later, this technique still hasn't been embraced by the wider beekeeping community.  I suspect there's a sound reason for this. 

I suspect bottom line.  Even OAV is not predominately used by commercial beekeepers.  Anything that requires time and investment to try to eradicate the mite that can't be eradicated will not be used by commercial operators especially if a lot of labor is added to the operation.  I have a feeling that the more OAV is used the less it will be liked on a large scale.  My guess is the lose rate will return to what it was prior to the first few years of use.

[herbhome]

Thanks guys,

I came across this on Amazon and it piqued my interest.

[EaglePestEliminators]

Treatment ought to be performed 2x per year. So anytime a promising new procedure of treatment becomes available it's worth our time to start looking into it. When these treatments have traditionally provided very substantial levels of control, there's an increasing prevalence of resistance to such chemicals which makes them less reliable in some places. This two-stage treatment, therefore, guarantees that the colony is wholly rid of the mite. After the oxalic treatment was completed, the very best insulation needs to be reinstated and any top ventilation closed-off. Under these conditions, oxalic acid vapor treatment can be extremely effective in the event the crisis arrives mid-winter.

The treatments are extremely costly and labor-intensive, with inconsistent outcomes. So it has to be applied in autumn when there is no brood in the hives. Every one of these treatments has its advantages and disadvantages, and some are effective while others aren't. It's a disadvantageous treatment on account of the widespread mite resistance to it because of its overuse.

Oxalic acid is now EPA approved and aren't going to damage your colony. Formic acid can be found in gel packs, but it's caustic and tricky to administer. Caution in some stocks the formic acid within this treatment may impact the queen.

[Acebird]

Oxalic acid is now EPA approved and aren't going to damage your colony. Formic acid can be found in gel packs, but it's caustic and tricky to administer.

What makes you think Oxalic acid is not tricky to administer?  There is a timing issue, there is a dosage issue, and if it is OAV there is a device issue.  You can completely strip a hive of it's brood, treat it with OA killing every last mite and then be reinfected within two week from drifting bees and drones.  There is no way to prevent reinfection from happening.  I don't see OA as a revelation in beekeeping.  I see it as a new way for some people to make money.

[roddo27846]

I feel the same way you do Acebird, but I do not have much experience. Just lost one of my two colonies and have my fingers crossed on the other, if that counts for anything. I don't trust the chemical manufacturers and bee suppliers as it is in their interests if I join the treatment crowd with my dollars. So my question to you is, what do you do to control the mites?

[Acebird]

Nothing.  Apparently I live in an area where I can maintain 3 hives and get away with it.  I am not dependent on beekeeping for a living.  Most certainly there will come a day when I lose all my hives and have to buy another one or a package to get back to a three hive apiary.
If doing nothing did not work then all feral bees would die and there would only be managed bees.  That is not the case in all areas.  So if your area will support doing nothing then you can.  If the use of chemical warfare becomes prevalent then there will  be less and less areas where you can do nothing.

[Beeboy01]

This is an older thread that I need to open back up. I was at the local bee club last night and the president talked about a heater contraption that heats the hive to 107 degrees and holds it for about two hours which is supposed to reduce the mite population. I'm a bit skeptical about any sudden cure for the mites and wonder if anyone has tried it. The heater was expensive for an experimental treatment and I can't see how it could be time effective for even side liners. Apparently the president had great success with one hive that had a mite problem.  Guess I've been around too long to believe all the snake oil stories.
   

[Acebird]

I think you would be sacrificing brood if the hive was successfully raised to 107.  Maybe that is intentional.

[Beeboy01]

Don't know, it's the first time I've heard of this type of treatment. He said there was no side affects with the bees and raved about how well it worked.

[codeboy]

Went to the Michigan Beekeepers Spring Conference this past weekend and saw one of these heating devices for the first time.  It just so happened that one of the keynote speakers had done the design work for a similar device (I believe the Mite Zapper) and that this kind of heat treatment has been used in Europe for a while.  From my understanding, it does work but the temperature must be controlled precisely.  I also believe it doesn't kill brood unless they are already weak from Varroa munching on them.  The problem I think is the expense and time involved in treatment. 

[Beeboy01]

Any updates on how well this works?       

[Live Oak]

Any updates on how well this works?     

Any updates on how well this works?     

I am not using this particular treatment unit.  I have been using the Mighty Mite Killer manufactured by Beehive Thermal Industries:

https://www.beehivethermalindustries.com/

I have treated over 120 hives with this device and had VERY good results.  You can go to the link below are read what others have experienced in this Fake Book user's group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/275791919813444/

This thread is over 120 days old.  If anyone is interested in discussing this topic, I can start a new thread. 

[Kathyp]

The idea of killing of mites by an elevated temperature was first trialled back in 2001.  Sixteen years later, this technique still hasn't been embraced by the wider beekeeping community.  I suspect there's a sound reason for this. 

Some years back I observed that my hives not ventilated in the summer had lower mite counts.  They got HOT.  They were constantly bearding. 

This is just an observation but it led me to wonder if heat was not helpful in mite control, and at that point, I had not heard anything about it.

I am not one of those back to nature nuts, but sometimes observing how nature does things is a good clue to best practices.  most wild hives, wherever you find them, do not have ventilation.  They have one entry/exit site and most of the time they are on the sunny side of a tree, building, etc. 

[blackforest beekeeper]

The idea of killing of mites by an elevated temperature was first trialled back in 2001.  Sixteen years later, this technique still hasn't been embraced by the wider beekeeping community.  I suspect there's a sound reason for this. 

Some years back I observed that my hives not ventilated in the summer had lower mite counts.  They got HOT.  They were constantly bearding. 

This is just an observation but it led me to wonder if heat was not helpful in mite control, and at that point, I had not heard anything about it.

I am not one of those back to nature nuts, but sometimes observing how nature does things is a good clue to best practices.  most wild hives, wherever you find them, do not have ventilation.  They have one entry/exit site and most of the time they are on the sunny side of a tree, building, etc.

We have had very little mites and the summer has been long and hot.

[Live Oak]

The idea of killing of mites by an elevated temperature was first trialled back in 2001.  Sixteen years later, this technique still hasn't been embraced by the wider beekeeping community.  I suspect there's a sound reason for this. 

Some years back I observed that my hives not ventilated in the summer had lower mite counts.  They got HOT.  They were constantly bearding. 

This is just an observation but it led me to wonder if heat was not helpful in mite control, and at that point, I had not heard anything about it.

I am not one of those back to nature nuts, but sometimes observing how nature does things is a good clue to best practices.  most wild hives, wherever you find them, do not have ventilation.  They have one entry/exit site and most of the time they are on the sunny side of a tree, building, etc.

We have had very little mites and the summer has been long and hot.

Before you put too much stock in that, I strongly recommend you watch this video if you haven't already.  It will turn everything you "thought" you knew about varroa mites on its head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK2Xi0ST4rA&feature=youtu.be

It is about an hour and 15 minutes long.  When someone told me about it, I didn't think I could sit throught the entire video but once I began watching it, I could not stop.  You may "think" that you have low mite counts but this video will show you otherwise. 

[Ben Framed]

@ Live Oak. I watched the above video that you posted. Very interesting, I ask the Dr  in the comments of that same video and hopefully in time he will answer. In the mean time I will ask you, perhaps you might know the answer. The Dr mentioned the triple threat type mite that he is concerned about which may be making its way here to the Americas. The question is; will oxlic acid also effectively kill this strain of mite as effectively as it does the varroa? Thanks, Phillip Hall "Ben Framed"

Also being you are from the general area as myself, I would like to ask you a spin-off question which was part of a reply that you sent to me on the topic of (Feeding pollen substitute in late season). You told me     "I would not put any food patties with more than 5% protein inside the hive during Fall/Winter as these can become SHB magnets". You had also gave me the good advise of leaving Pollen substitute in open feeders the entire fall and winter season as bees in our area would still be  foraging on the occasional warmer days . I  Thank you for that answer but the new question is; Will the hive beetle slime  the hive in our area during this same winter months? Is this something that you have experienced?
Thanks again,  Phillip Hall

[BeeMaster2]

Phillip,
Since the SHBs lay mainly outside of the brood area, during the winter, it is not warm enough for their eggs to hatch. I do not have any problems with SHBs in my observation hive during winter even when there are only a few hundred bees in the hive.
Jim

[Ben Framed]

Started new thread, Small Hive Beetle contral during winter and moved this one to it per Ben Framed.
By the way Phillip, you can do the same thing using modify, copy, start new thread and paste and then delete the old text.
Jim