and similarly - anyone come across these before?

[Tony M]

Wandering through eBay again, and came across this:

eBay item 14214020551 "NEW weapon in the fight against Varroa destructor mites"

Surely, if it was that easy . . .

. . . but could there be anything in it?

(sounds a bit like sandpaper, from the description)

Thoughts welcome.

Tony.

 

[GaryB]

Sounds a bit like the Bee Gym

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

discarded CD's with a bit of sand glued onto them.
PT Barnum must be glowing with pride up there

 

[Hivemaker.]

Not been passed by the VMD, so illegal to use in the UK.

 

[Tony M]

GaryB's comment about Bee Gym set me off searching the forum - which led into other related things - and it turns out these things (and others similar) have been discussed before.

See http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34266&page=4

Actually (as inconclusive as it may be), Bee Gym looks like a better bet - but I won't be investing at present.

Digging over old ground!

Tony

 

[pargyle]

I have both ... always up for something new.

The CD covered with cement slurry appeared to have no effect in causing any increased drop in Varroa. The Bee gym (until the bees ate it !) did show a pattern of dead varroa on the inspection board around where the gym was sited on the floor of the hive.

 

[Tony M]

The Bee gym (until the bees ate it !) did show a pattern of dead varroa on the inspection board around where the gym was sited on the floor of the hive.

If it's not an impertinent question, was the apparent effect sufficient to persuade you to buy a replacement?

Tony.

 

[pargyle]

If it's not an impertinent question, was the apparent effect sufficient to persuade you to buy a replacement?

Tony.

I would but the hive I was using it in had a significant bottom bee space and my Paynes polys don't have enough space between the floor and the bottom of the frames. In fairness, the inventor who sells them will replace the tapes with updated versions which the bees can't break so it will probably be back in use next season.

As a sole mechanism of varroa control I would not rely on it if you are hoping that's the answer. I don't treat my bees and the beegym meets my 'no chemicals in the hive' principles so anything it does to assist my bees has to be good. I have seen results from it on the inspection board but we are not talking hundreds of mites - more just a concentration of the drop.

 

[Tony M]

Thanks for the wisdom! Since my hives are also Paynes polys, I'll park the notion in the "things to think about" pile for now.

Cheers,

Tony.

 

[user 6228]

Not been passed by the VMD, so illegal to use in the UK.

Bee gym is a veterinary appliance without an "active ingredient" rather than a veterinary medicine. Whether that will stop the VMD is to be seen.

 

[For want of a better word]

Bee gym is a veterinary appliance without an "active ingredient" rather than a veterinary medicine. Whether that will stop the VMD is to be seen.

The active ingredient would be the bees themselves!

Is the VMD yet another quango... or does it actually produce anything worthwhile... beekeeping wise... or are the extortionate licence fees just to keep themselves in full time well paid government pensionable jobs?

Just asking?

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's just British bureaucracy having a day off from enlarging molehills, taking a bit of EC legislation (which every other member state takes with a hefty pinch of salt) then wrapping it up in reams of good old English red tape which the tories have then taken and used as a good tool for big companies to tie up the markey and make loadsamoney from.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I have both ... always up for something new.

The CD covered with cement slurry appeared to have no effect in causing any increased drop in Varroa. The Bee gym (until the bees ate it !) did show a pattern of dead varroa on the inspection board around where the gym was sited on the floor of the hive.

Not really a fair test though, is it? Your bees only drop one Varroa mite every 10 days! The bees probably take the resident mite to the bee gym to give it some cardio exercise, where it has a heart attack and falls onto the inspection board.

CVB

 

[user 6228]

It's just British bureaucracy having a day off from enlarging molehills, taking a bit of EC legislation (which every other member state takes with a hefty pinch of salt) then wrapping it up in reams of good old English red tape which the tories have then taken and used as a good tool for big companies to tie up the markey and make loadsamoney from.

VMD is one of Tony's not Tories

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

VMD is one of Tony's not Tories

Blair is a tory!!

 

[pargyle]

Not really a fair test though, is it? Your bees only drop one Varroa mite every 10 days! The bees probably take the resident mite to the bee gym to give it some cardio exercise, where it has a heart attack and falls onto the inspection board.

CVB

A few more than that occasionally and that's when I could see the concentration of dead mites on the inspection board immediately under the beegym - Like I said, it's not the silver bullet but it seems to be doing something.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Bee gym is a veterinary appliance without an "active ingredient" rather than a veterinary medicine. Whether that will stop the VMD is to be seen.

The UK have a penchant for gold plating rules whenever the opportunity arises. Usually to justify some desk jockeys salary and pension. Then a whole new department gets created to provide another burden on the population.