Can Cold Temperatures With Excessive Ventilation Naturally Aid In Pest Control?

Oldbeavo · January 28, 2021, 05:26:45 PM

Hi Folks
We don't have Varroa in OZ yet, but we do have SHB.
We have found that they tend to invade hives that are a bit weak or on the decline. Good strong hives that are well populated, no spare space, seem to deal with SHB.
Our climate means that we only see SHB numbers in late Spring/Summer.
In Northern Australia where it is more humid, like Florida I guess have more problems, high humidity and no real winter and they lose hives to SHB. Slimed out.
If we store supers of honey in summer for a few days we risk having SHB lay and start sliming.
Most of the time if we take honey off we extract within 2 days.

Ben Framed · January 28, 2021, 05:33:34 PM

Thank you Oldbeavo. No varroa is good news! Varroa, along with SHB give us and our bees the old (one, two punch).... Having one of these problems is bad enough but both is certainly a responsibility for we beekeepers to be aware of and ready to take arms if need be as I have found it to be a constant battle in my area, and to beekeeping here. 😊😊

TheHoneyPump · January 28, 2021, 05:46:11 PM

The honey bee is essentially dead at 4 degC low and 48 degC high. They can survive and revive lower temperature but their motor skills are permanently hampered and lifespan significantly shortened.
The queen has to be protected and maintained between 22 degC and 38 degC, else her fertility is destroyed. Drone layers and supercedures soon follow a temperature excursion out of that band.
Drones; same temperatures as the queen, for fertility.
Those are my starting points. My gate posts and fencelines, if you will.
Those are not exact numbers, but should be very close within a degC-ish for purpose of the discussion. (( References: technical anatomy sections of the more recent editions of The Hive and The Honey Bee (Dadant), technical papers from National Bee Research Centres, as well as observations/experience. ))

As for reduced SHB survival and prevalence as going North; the main factor I am told is that the cooler ambient seasonal soil temperatures hamper grub development and thus low to no reproduction SHB. Supportive observation is that we do see SHB occasionally in the migratory hives in spring/summer. No action is taken other than apiary quarantine, as the SHB soon disappear as quickly as they showed up. When winter comes, nothing survives. ( -27 degC here today and frost level a solid 6 ft deep. My last trip out to the lake ice fishing got to right to the end of my auger (36in) before the water welled up.

Ben Framed · January 28, 2021, 05:56:00 PM

Goodness that?s cold!!

Well I have just got to ask, since I love fishing. How was the fishing? What type fish 🐠 do you catch? lol 😊

TheHoneyPump · January 28, 2021, 06:01:30 PM

Mostly;
Northern Pike (aka. slough shark, Jackfish)
Golden Walleye
Yellow Perch
Burbot (ala Ling Cod, poor mans lobster) - occasionally

There are a few isolated landlocked lakes that can yield some massive Lake Trout Artic Char that easily outshine the typical salmon.

Ben Framed · January 28, 2021, 06:05:02 PM

Quote from: TheHoneyPump on January 28, 2021, 06:01:30 PM
Mostly;
Northern Pike (slough sharks)
Golden Walleye
Yellow Perch

There are a few isolated landlocked lakes that can yield some massive Lake Trout Artic Char that easily outshine the typical salmon.

I would love to try it at least once!!! Maybe you can post some things on this in the outdoor section along with pictures? I would love to see and hear more!!!!

TheHoneyPump · January 28, 2021, 06:26:28 PM

Just goto youtube and plug in;
- ice fishing Canada -
Lots will pop up to keep you intrigued and entertained. Yes, yes, the experiences are just like that. Exactly like that.

Particularly anything that pops up with Gord Pyzer is good to watch.

Ben Framed · January 28, 2021, 07:50:14 PM

Will do and once again thank you Sir...

rast · January 28, 2021, 09:08:51 PM

Interesting that I read today about a March 2017 bee club meeting in Calgary, Canada where Dr Medhat Nasr , Alberta?s chief apiculturist, spoke about them finding SHB in Alberta.

Oldbeavo · January 29, 2021, 05:13:27 AM

While we have got back to SHB, I notice a difference between hives in the bees aggression towards SHB. Some hives if they find a SHB in the open they are after him, while others tend to just tolerate them. Any one notice this?
Aggression to SHB should be a breeding selection trait.

Ben Framed · January 29, 2021, 05:30:37 AM

Quote from: Oldbeavo on January 29, 2021, 05:13:27 AM
While we have got back to SHB, I notice a difference between hives in the bees aggression towards SHB. Some hives if they find a SHB in the open they are after him, while others tend to just tolerate them. Any one notice this?
Aggression to SHB should be a breeding selection trait.

I have noticed during the warmer months when both bees and SHB are both active my bees will always have the SHB cornered in a strong healthy hive. But the other day when adding the mountain camp, bees were moving slowly and the few SHB that I did see were free to roam. The temperature was in the lower 50s'f.

Adding I did not dig into these hives only removed the tops to add Mountain Camp.

Beeboy01 · January 30, 2021, 07:35:06 PM

Ben, I noticed the same lack of aggression today with my hives. I opened the tops just for a quick look and there were four of five SHB's on the inner covers along with a good amount of bees but they weren't chasing them as usual when it is warmer. The bees weren't attacking any SHB's that I crushed which was unusual also. The temperature has been in the low 60's during the day and mid 40's at night.

Ben Framed · January 30, 2021, 08:29:07 PM

Quote from: Beeboy01 on January 30, 2021, 07:35:06 PM
Ben, I noticed the same lack of aggression today with my hives. I opened the tops just for a quick look and there were four of five SHB's on the inner covers along with a good amount of bees but they weren't chasing them as usual when it is warmer. The bees weren't attacking any SHB's that I crushed which was unusual also. The temperature has been in the low 60's during the day and mid 40's at night.

Thanks Beeboy01.... The SHB are awful pest!!..... I suppose with the cooler temperatures and slow moving bees, the beatles are free to roam without much opposition? Maybe they are more protected from the elements than our bees? IDK

TheHoneyPump · February 05, 2021, 02:14:04 PM

Now could be a good time to try some sort of cold treatment, no? (deg C)

Ben Framed · February 05, 2021, 02:33:53 PM

Quote from: TheHoneyPump on February 05, 2021, 02:14:04 PM
Now could be a good time to try some sort of cold treatment, no?

Oh no! lol

Bill Murray · February 17, 2021, 11:08:53 AM

QuoteWhile we have got back to SHB, I notice a difference between hives in the bees aggression towards SHB. Some hives if they find a SHB in the open they are after him, while others tend to just tolerate them. Any one notice this?
Aggression to SHB should be a breeding selection trait.

This is my observation also. Same hive strength but different toleration in the hives to them. Also I notice it is dependent on exactly where the hive are. example, two fields direct sun, high and dry. hives in field #1 no SHB problem. Field #2 infestation occurs. This is over a few years moving hives in and out of these 2 fields. I have always pondered on this. still pondering.

AR Beekeeper · February 17, 2021, 04:56:14 PM

Along with shade versus full sun, I have noticed the colonies in full sun that have more beetles than the others are usually the ones with the highest varroa mite counts.

Bill Murray · February 17, 2021, 05:34:32 PM

But if all hives are kept to 2/3% that's not a factor am I correct? or are you stating that 0% is low and 2/3 % is high? Because if I get a drop over 3 mites I normally treat.

Ben Framed · February 17, 2021, 05:51:16 PM

Quote from: Bill Murray on February 17, 2021, 05:34:32 PM
Because if I get a drop over 3 mites I normally treat.

Yes I treat at that point also. As far as cold with excessive ventilation naturally being an aid in pest control, I now have my doubts after going back and reading some of these interesting replies.

TheHoneyPump · February 25, 2021, 06:14:09 PM

Quote from: AR Beekeeper on February 17, 2021, 04:56:14 PM
Along with shade versus full sun, I have noticed the colonies in full sun that have more beetles than the others are usually the ones with the highest varroa mite counts.

I have noticed, in the same beeyard, the hives placed where there is alot more shade are the ones that have much higher varroa counts later in the season. At one yard, this has been a consistent observation for 3 years in a row. No beetle issues here so cannot correlate the two together.
Just an FYI observation from here.