Mite Check Intervals

DayValleyDahlias · May 30, 2007, 07:01:44 PM

Well, I checked the sticky board after 72 hours...got the magnifying glass out and saw no mites. Pollen and particles, but it wasn't too dirty..some dead ants...

How often should the mite check be done?

Thanks!

Brian D. Bray · May 30, 2007, 09:29:16 PM

Once a month maybe. It depends on your management plan. The only time I've found it really necessary to do a shake is for 4 consecutive weeks in september to degree the mite load going into winter.

TwT · May 30, 2007, 10:55:38 PM

I shouldn't even post of this but will any way, I have never check a mite count, I just always believed that if I done one I didn't want the bee's I got, but so for all is well not doing counts, going on 4 years now so I been lucky so for, knock on wood!!!! ;)

Cindi · May 31, 2007, 11:05:48 AM

Ted, I hate to say this. BUT....I need to. I think that you should do a mite count. I did not do any mite counts last summer (or the year before) until the fall and then it was seriously too late. I did not even begin to realize that I had such a horrible mite infestation. I lost 10 colonies. This was 100% due to mite issues. Swarming was also a contribution, which led to weaker colonies and the mites took over even easier with the weaker colonies.

I don't want to sound negative. But....you have good things going on with your hives. Why would you not do a mite count, jsut to be on the super, duper safer side. If you find no mites, wonderful. BUT...if you did find too many mites, it might be too, too, too, too late. YOu will never know if you do or do not have mites unless you perform this simple, simple test. 72 hour natural mite drop count. 72 hours is very important for an accurate average daily mite count drop. Take it from one who thought things were all just hunky dorry and going along wonderfully. Just my two cents, take it for what it is worth, lots or little.

Have a wonderful day, great life and love that life you're living. Cindi

Cindi · May 31, 2007, 11:11:13 AM

Sharon, excellent!!!! You left the sticky boards in for 72 hours, that was perfect, that is the most accurate way to get the average natural daily mite drop. And you had zero. Yeah!!!!! Yes, like Brian said, check again in a month. I think that you will be completely safe until the end of the summer, then you may or may not want to do more work with treatment, depending on how the mite count is then.

If you want some good reading about varroa mite and treatments, read the Mitegone site. It is very interesting. This is a fellow that lives about 4 hours from my home town.

http://www.mitegone.com/

Have a wonderful day, great life, love the life you're livin'. Cindi

DayValleyDahlias · May 31, 2007, 11:28:06 AM

Thank you all for your advice.

Cindi, I have also read the "MiteAwayII" information, will compare...Hopefully I can keep the varroa at bay...that is my wish, goal, mission hahahaha!

Moonshae · May 31, 2007, 11:41:34 AM

The site looks interesting, but I was turned off by the need to wear a ventilator while soaking the pads in the acid. I'll stick with my SBB and if/when I find mites during an inspection, I think I'll start with the much less extreme sugar shakes before moving on to harsher chemical treatments if the shakes don't work.

TwT · May 31, 2007, 07:44:33 PM

I know my bee's have mites, the only thing that I see every year is in the start of spring for a few days at time's I can go to my hives and look at the ground in front of the hives and count 100 bee's still alive (mostly drones) that have been kick out of the hive and all those bee's have mites on them, every hive does this in the spring, if a bee has a mite or deformed wing the gals drag them out and drop off the landing board, I have noticed this the past 3 years, it like clock work, as soon as it gets warm enough for drones and the hives start to build up fast I see these hives doing this clean out (thats what I been calling it), .... it might be why I have has success without treatments. I have only losed one hive so for and it was because of queen lose, I seen the virgin queen but there were no drones around(early spring) , hives going on 4 years old now and never treated. I am going to study these hives next year for a few days and see what I can learn. might be why they are still living.....

Kirk-o · May 31, 2007, 10:33:44 PM

I don't count mites either.Small cell for me all the way
kirko

Brian D. Bray · June 01, 2007, 01:43:54 AM

TwT, you have what I believe they call SMaRt bees. Best kind to have in my opinion. I had to restart this year due to excessive wind damage. It will take me a few years to get back to having SMaRt bees again. I try to answer the questions asked as much as possible and only offer "what I would do" if it is part of the necessary answer.

Cindi · June 01, 2007, 11:02:05 AM

Ted, I think that is great. Keep on as such. Things must be right.

But...you say that you see the mites on the bees when they are thrown out of the hive. Yes, that is good that they are thrown out, but the mites that you see on the bees are probably only a tiny bit of what is actually going on in the hive. If you see the mites on bees, guaranteed there are many more mites hiding and breeding in the cells.

I don't want to sound harsh, but you should think about it, like you are, I know that. If you treated, maybe your hives would be twice as strong. The varroa sucks the hemolymph from the bees, it makes them feel weak and probably not so well. I don't know. I just know if you see mites, guaranteed there are many, many more indoors. You just don't see them. Sorry to be abrupt, but that is the way the mites work. Have a wonderful day, great life, love the life your livin'. Cindi

TwT · June 01, 2007, 11:12:28 AM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on June 01, 2007, 01:43:54 AM
TwT, you have what I believe they call SMaRt bees. Best kind to have in my opinion. I had to restart this year due to excessive wind damage. It will take me a few years to get back to having SMaRt bees again. I try to answer the questions asked as much as possible and only offer "what I would do" if it is part of the necessary answer.

I was always under the impression the SMaRT bee's removed the infected bee's from capped cell while the mites were still young, seems like my bee's wait for them to hatch them remove them, my bee's might be smart but they slow ;) , The main thing being is that I have never bought a SMaRT queen, the first year I started keeping bee's I bought 3 packages that had Kona Italian queens, been collecting a couple swarms and getting removals for the last 3 years, I did buy 3 PBA queens last fall, 3 packages and 3 queens is all I have ever bought, every other hive I raise myself...
I just gave 2 hives to a friend but I still have 27 and fixing to raise some more, I am waiting on a equipment order to come in so I can get the ball rolling on this years queen rearing. not many swar calls in this area but the last year I got 1 swarm and requeened it with queen I raised from a removal hive, this year I got 4 swarms and requeeneds 2 of them, the others I will requeen as soon as I do my first grafts this year.

Quote from: Cindi on June 01, 2007, 11:02:05 AM
Ted, I think that is great. Keep on as such. Things must be right.

But...you say that you see the mites on the bees when they are thrown out of the hive. Yes, that is good that they are thrown out, but the mites that you see on the bees are probably only a tiny bit of what is actually going on in the hive. If you see the mites on bees, guaranteed there are many more mites hiding and breeding in the cells.

I don't want to sound harsh, but you should think about it, like you are, I know that. If you treated, maybe your hives would be twice as strong. The varroa sucks the hemolymph from the bees, it makes them feel weak and probably not so well. I don't know. I just know if you see mites, guaranteed there are many, many more indoors. You just don't see them. Sorry to be abrupt, but that is the way the mites work. Have a wonderful day, great life, love the life your livin'. Cindi

but Cindi what you dont understand is that that is the only time I see a mite in the hive is when it is on a bee on the ground, the rest of the year I can inspect drone cells that are in the burr comb and never see a mite on those drones, seems they clean the hive of mites in the early spring, now maybe twice a years after the major cleaning I see them drag a bee or drone from the hive with a mite but I dont see it mnany times after the first big clean out.

Cindi · June 01, 2007, 11:30:24 AM

Ted, good. Now you have clarified a little better, that is wonderful. I hope that it keeps on working like that, excellent. You do have smart bees!!!!!! Have a wonderful life, great day, love that life you're livin'. Cindi. I am happy for you Ted, yeah!!!!!!