could it be possible I have no varroa?

[burren]

I have an OMF on my national hive and slide out floor. I have been monitoring the floor for a couple of months and havent seen anything! Is that possible?

 

[Gardenbees]

I haven't found any since June in either of my colonies, either on the board under the OMF or in drone brood. I doubt that they're completely mite-free though. The little monsters can get in by a variety of means, and build up steathily from small patches of infected brood that can easily be missed.

Ungainly-looking adult mites can hop onto a passing bee with amazing speed and accuracy. Even if they are absent right now, you can't afford to stop checking, because it's the thievin' season and if your bees are drifters, they can still possibly pick up mites from another colony. Likewise, any scurvy robbers that manage to get past (or just jostle up against) your guard bees can also introduce new mites to your colony.

Not that I'm complaining about not finding any!

 

[wilderness]

I've posted elsewhere that I had a few varroa on a couple of boards. When I checked the next day, they had gone !

Lots of ant activity so I wonder if they are taking them away?

I don't have sticky boards

 

[iball]

I did a count a few days ago on a queenless hive and got a count of 16 over 4 days. There was only about a quarter of a frame of capped brood left so decided to sugar dust. This gave a drop of 40 after 4 hours.

I'm requeening tomorrow so will redust later today, if it stops raining which, because the majority of the blighters will be phoretic should reduce the percentages.

Once her majesty is accepted and laying I'll be able to re assess the situation in a few weeks. Hopefully the temperatures will be high enough to treat if required and in the meantime I'll still be able to benefit from the Balsom which is in abundance.

Ian

 

[iball]

I've posted elsewhere that I had a few varroa on a couple of boards. When I checked the next day, they had gone !

Lots of ant activity so I wonder if they are taking them away?

I don't have sticky boards

Could be ants or they may have walked back in. Hopefully it's the ants.

Ian

 

[Hebeegeebee]

could it be possible I have no varroa?

No. (!)


Well highly unlikely.

try a sugar dusting - as iball has done.

To retain varroa on the boards grease thinly with vasalene or olive oil.

 

[Terrysbees]

Hi will any type of sugar i was woundering if it had to be and powdry or course, I can see them comming out like fairy cakes

 

[Midland Beek]

I did a count a few days ago on a queenless hive and got a count of 16 over 4 days. There was only about a quarter of a frame of capped brood left so decided to sugar dust. This gave a drop of 40 after 4 hours

Had you have used lactic acid spray you would have killed perhaps as many as 90% of the mites in the hive.

 

[iball]

Had you have used lactic acid spray you would have killed perhaps as many as 90% of the mites in the hive.

Lots of icing sugar in the pantry but no lactic acid. I'll have to read up on lactic acid and perhaps add it to the store cupboard.

2 hours after dusting them gave a drop of 83.

Terry, use ordinary icing sugar.

Ian

 

[Poly Hive]

Can we be realistic?

Possible yes if you are on the outer isles of Scotland?

Otherwise it is sensible to work on the basis that you have Varroa.

PH

 

[burren]

yes thanks hebeegeebee have vas-ed the board already.

 

[burren]

to poly hive, yes quite remote, up a mountain, next to the atlantic ocean.

 

[gregnut]

I have noticed with my own bees and in the Association Apiary that there appears to be very little Varroa this year, either on the boards or on drone brood. This may be due to our methods of Varroa control (Apiguard in autumn, Oxalic acid in mid-winter), or could it also have something to do with the very cold winter we have just had?