December Varroa

[Millet]

Give him a break ... this is the BEGINNERS SECTION.

This is worth a look Millet .. You can select just the season and then hover over the pollen colour and it will tell you what it's likely to be:

http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/

Thank you for that i have saved it to my favorites.

 

[beeno]

Hi all, OP varroa in December. Yes, I am still counting varroa on my OA treated hive drop of 80 today.

 

[Thymallus]

Thank you for that i have saved it to my favorites.

Take care when using it, some of their "colours" are incorrect (or were).
And worth noting that pollen from a single floral source can come in various shades.
Invest in a microscope and open up a whole new world....and accurate pollen identification.

 

[Thymallus]

On the pollen nutrition chart on a scale of 1 to 4 ... poor quality pollen source, average quality, above average quality, excellent quality.... gorse is classed as an above average quality source of pollen.

HM, where can this chart be located?

 

[Hivemaker.]

HM, where can this chart be located?

http://www.nbba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Nutritional_Value_of_Bee_Collected_Pollens.pdf

 

[Thymallus]

http://www.nbba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Nutritional_Value_of_Bee_Collected_Pollens.pdf

Appreciated, ta.

 

[pargyle]

Lots work it here, they obviously know which pollen is a good source of all year round protein.

On the pollen nutrition chart on a scale of 1 to 4 ... poor quality pollen source, average quality, above average quality, excellent quality.... gorse is classed as an above average quality source of pollen.

Anything over 25% is classed as very good.

Gorse crude protein % 28.4

Willow comes in lower on the scale as average. 14.8%

As an aside after reading about the collapse of colonies working sunflower in France and it being blamed on neonics......

That's really interesting Pete ... the gorse where we walk our dog is a bit too far for my bees but I know there are at least half a dozen apiaries within half a mile of the hill. There must either be much better forage about or a lot of dopey bees ...

Mind you, it's farmland and hedgerows in the immediate vicinity and there are also urban gardens well within flying distance.

I've stopped trying to guess what bees will do ... they always seem to have their own idea of what's best for them .. and it's rarely what I think is best for them !

 

[pargyle]

http://www.nbba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Nutritional_Value_of_Bee_Collected_Pollens.pdf

Page 150 is very interesting ... but I wish we had some of the plants on page 152 ....

There's an awful lot of Patersons Curse mentioned but I couldn't find a data sheet for it anywhere ... at times I just wish I lived in Aus .. so descriptive !!

 

[Hivemaker.]

There's an awful lot of Patersons Curse mentioned

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_plantagineum

 

[pargyle]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echium_plantagineum

Ahh ... Now I know what it is ...

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Ahh ... Now I know what it is ...

And one sentence caught my eye - "Because the alkaloids can also be found in the nectar of Paterson's curse, the honey made from it should be blended with other honeys to dilute the toxins" - so maybe not such a great foraging plant plus it is considered an invasive species and is attacked with herbicides by state and local authorities in Oz because of the damage it does to livestock.

CVB

 

[Millet]

3 Day's ago my inspection board had a 72 varroa drop over a 10 day period, i removed the board and replaced it with a clean one, they was 13 varroa the next day and maybe more as i have a modified entrance block that covers 1/4 off the mesh floor so some maybe dropping on that.
Here is a picture of the inspection board, brood must still be popping out by the dark crumbs of wax.? .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the tiniest amount of brood if any by the looks of it - same for the varroa really - nothing to get stressed about

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine look similar,( except I use white correx or wooden inserts painted white, easy to see and wipe clean).
Chill and get those Christmas presents wrapped.

 

[Millet]

the tiniest amount of brood if any by the looks of it - same for the varroa really - nothing to get stressed about

Thank you and i give up being stressed with the varroa now, i just deal with them like Arnie would .. 'Hasta la vista, baby' .

Mine look similar,( except I use white correx or wooden inserts painted white, easy to see and wipe clean).
Chill and get those Christmas presents wrapped.

I try to chill but i'm now waiting for the 13c weather on Thursday to see if i decide to lift the bonnet or NOT to check that the candipollen is still there, should i check or should i just leave well alone, bearing in mind i'm like a owner of a new puppy..

 

[For want of a better word]

Thank you and i give up being stressed with the varroa now, i just deal with them like Arnie would .. 'Hasta la vista, baby' .




I try to chill but i'm now waiting for the 13c weather on Thursday to see if i decide to lift the bonnet or NOT to check that the candipollen is still there, should i check or should i just leave well alone, bearing in mind i'm like a owner of a new puppy..

Must be said that a glass or similar clear crownboard / quilt as described in Dave Cushman's web pages is a very useful bit of kit.
A speedy lift of the roof and insulation gives a satisfying peep at the bees to see they are OK... generally there are!

Yeghes da

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thank you and i give up being stressed with the varroa now, i just deal with them like Arnie would .. 'Hasta la vista, baby' .




I try to chill but i'm now waiting for the 13c weather on Thursday to see if i decide to lift the bonnet or NOT to check that the candipollen is still there, should i check or should i just leave well alone, bearing in mind i'm like a owner of a new puppy..

I weigh my hives so have an idea of how fast they are going through their stores.
I keep notes with the weights and how they come through into spring. Invaluable.

 

[madasafish]

Varroa drop after OA sublimation last week? under 20 per hive.

Weighing hives next to see consumption since September when I last weighed.
So easy to do with digital scales and rope under floor, weighing each end.. Even I can do it..

 

[Millet]

Weighing hives next to see consumption since September when I last weighed.
So easy to do with digital scales and rope under floor, weighing each end.. Even I can do it..

On October 15th my full hive weighed 97lb's , roof/crown board/brood box/super and stand, what weight would get you worrying.
Thank's.

 

[beeno]

Hi Millet, You vapped back in late October and EricA asked what the drop was, but I could not find your reply? Vapping does not kill varroa in the brood and if you only did it once you may have left a lot of varroa behind particularly since there has been a lot of brooding going on because of the mild weather and late pollen availability. I would not be happy with a one day drop of 17 since you have had a problem since October. Natural mite drop is very unreliable and usually on the conservative side.