High mite count

[bobba]

Great news everybody.

All 4 hives have survived - so far.

Hives 1 to 3 have been very busy the last few days, bringing in lots of pollen.

I was beginning to think I may have a dead out in hive 4. I tapped on the side of the hive a few weeks back and got no buzz in response. I even opened the lid and had a peep in the feed hole, I could see no bees and feel no heat coming out.

But they finally sprang back into action yesterday all pilling out for cleansing flights at once. I thought it was the other hives robbing a dead-out at first, but on closer inspection all was well.

I vaped hives 1+2 yesterday and 3+4 today.

Hive 1, Vape 1, 24h = 11
Hive 2, Vape 1, 24h = 7

Do you think I should vape again in 5 days, or not bother with numbers so low?

I am very happy with the results, all 4 hives still alive and low mite counts. So a big thanks to all those who offered me advice last year, collectively you have done a good job, as always, and seen me through to the start on my 2nd full season.

I cannot understate how much you lot have helped me in the past, remember this site and youtube are my only mentors! Am still hoping to join an association, but will have to see how tings go this year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I vaped hives 1+2 yesterday and 3+4 today.

Hive 1, Vape 1, 24h = 11
Hive 2, Vape 1, 24h = 7

Do you think I should vape again in 5 days, or not bother with numbers so low?

If they were mine I wouldn’t

 

[bobba]

Hive 1, Vape 1, 24h = 11, 48h = 4
Hive 2, Vape 1, 24h = 7 48h = 4
Hive 3, Vape 1, 24h = 0
Hive 4, Vape 1, 24h = 1

Thanks Dani.

I was thinking to not bother vaping anymore, so you gave me the answer I was hoping for .

Looking at the results from 3&4 I wont be vaping anymore. If 3 or 4 had high numbers I may have vaped the others again why I had the kit out.

 

[bobba]

Got the full results:

Hive 1, Vape 1, 24h = 11, 48h = 4
Hive 2, Vape 1, 24h = 7 48h = 4
Hive 3, Vape 1, 24h = 0 48h = 0
Hive 4, Vape 1, 24h = 1 48h = 1

It will be interesting to see if I get some more 1000+ counts in Autumn.

 

[bobba]

This years update:

I have not been counting or tacking photos this year as I have been too busy.

But this autumns counts have been bad again - very bad.

So far I have vaped all 4 hives 5 times each and am still getting drops of about 500-1000 in each hive!

I just dont understand how 2 years in a row my counts can be so low in the spring, then so high by autumn.

My first round of vapes basically produced red boards, and as said numbers are still 500+, after 5 vapes!


I have recently learnt there is a University based research group that have an Apiary about 2 miles from mine. And have been told this group do veroha related research. Obviously after hearing this I am now concerned their activates could be proliferating verhoa in my area. I have no idea what they do, other than they have hives and do mite related research. So I only have my suspensions to go on.

But I think I should get in touch with them and have a chat. Even if they are not the source of the veroha, they may be able to offer me advice. Or could even be interested in my hives as they seem to ether attract or produce a lot of mites.

Unfortunately the way things are going for me right now I am not going to get round to it this side if Christmas, bt if I do get round to talking with them I will let you guys know how it gos.

 

[user 819]

It only needs one stand alone non treater who doesn't monitor to be possibly the cause of high mites esp if yours are robbing them or jumping host at a forage hot spot.

Near to a village apiary there is an Anglican monastic group and the lady monk who is the beek is a non treater, another beek who's garden apiary is nearer has had 8 swarms this year arriving from the general direction.

My 6 colonies have all shown very low mite % during the year but one during vaping showed 10x more mites then the others, this had a new Q so I hadn't clipped her. After the 4th vape, mites were again approx. <300 then I left them another 5 days before giving another vape. No sound came from the hive so I opened and they had all but for about 1k of bees had gone/absconded.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Reminds me. Time to check mine again. Another vape is in order in the next few days b

 

[user 819]

I'm looking at next week to give a one off, light rain is forecast with high teens temps.

 

[Ian123]

This years update:

I have not been counting or tacking photos this year as I have been too busy.

But this autumns counts have been bad again - very bad.

So far I have vaped all 4 hives 5 times each and am still getting drops of about 500-1000 in each hive!

I just dont understand how 2 years in a row my counts can be so low in the spring, then so high by autumn.

My first round of vapes basically produced red boards, and as said numbers are still 500+, after 5 vapes!


I have recently learnt there is a University based research group that have an Apiary about 2 miles from mine. And have been told this group do veroha related research. Obviously after hearing this I am now concerned their activates could be proliferating verhoa in my area. I have no idea what they do, other than they have hives and do mite related research. So I only have my suspensions to go on.

But I think I should get in touch with them and have a chat. Even if they are not the source of the veroha, they may be able to offer me advice. Or could even be interested in my hives as they seem to ether attract or produce a lot of mites.

Unfortunately the way things are going for me right now I am not going to get round to it this side if Christmas, bt if I do get round to talking with them I will let you guys know how it gos.

Do you do a winter treatment ie early Jan. I’d suggest giving a single vape directly after Xmas. Basically an autumn treatment protects your winter bees. The winter treatment gives a clean start for next season. It’s a system that’s worked well for me and others even pre vaping and resistance to the likes of Apistan.

 

[bobba]

Do you do a winter treatment ie early Jan. I’d suggest giving a single vape directly after Xmas. Basically an autumn treatment protects your winter bees. The winter treatment gives a clean start for next season. It’s a system that’s worked well for me and others even pre vaping and resistance to the likes of Apistan.

No.

I treat once the supers are removed. Then treat again in march/April before the supers go on.

For the 2 full years I have kept bees numbers are extremely low in march/april, then very high in September.

It seems the numbers increase rapidly some time after may. Unfortunately treatment options are limited as the supers go on.

So I dont think an Xmas vape would help much. But I may just try it on 2 of my 4 hives then see how they fair compared to the other 2, it cant hurt. And I could be wrong and it might be very beneficial. Without trying I wont know. But thanks for the suggestion. The guy I got my bees from said he did 1 vape per year on the shortest day of the year, he said that's when bees had the least brood. So I may also try that approach and compare.

I have probably dropped close to 10k mites from each hive this year and there are still more. I just feel that if I have to keep doing 12 vapes per hive like last year, then it wont be good for my queens in the long term. I think I need to try something different next year.

I have seen people say extracting honey is the worse part of bee keeping. Well, I will extract your honey if you vape my mites.

Regarding the research group, all I know 100% is that they have bees and do research. I have been informed they do veroha research by an informal contact, so cannot be sure they are currently doing veroha specific research. They could even have a simlar veroha situation as me. I have been told the guy who runs the group is relay nice and very knowledgeable about bees. So it would definitely be interesting to get in touch.

But I am a suspicious person, so cant help but wonder if they are seeing how long it takes untreated hives to succumb to mites, or some other activities you dont want in proximity of your apiary.

Or they may have invented a new treatment that clears 100% of mites from a hive - by repelling them...

 

[Erichalfbee]

It seems the numbers increase rapidly some time after may. Unfortunately treatment options are limited as the supers go on.

Have you thought of vaping with supers on? I know its legal in The States. Oxalic is a natural constituent of honey and levels do not rise after vaping

 

[user 819]

Have you thought of vaping with supers on? I know its legal in The States. Oxalic is a natural constituent of honey and levels do not rise after vaping

Bobba is Hampshire UK not USA, guess one mistook the locale for New Hampshire. Vaping with supers on isn't allowed here.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well you take the supers off. Vape and put them back

 

[Erichalfbee]

In an emergency of course

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Well you take the supers off. Vape and put them back

If we assume a sublimated dose of, say, 2.25g of OA-based treatment and make sensible assumptions about how much of that might end up in the supers and again make sensible assumptions about how much weight of honey might be contaminated by the OA in the supers, you'll almost certainly find that the percentage of OA in the resulting honey is insignificant. It's probably for this reason that the authorities in the U.S. permit OA vaping with supers above the "vaped" brood box.

Do the maths!

CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or the math!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Exactly

 

[Patrick1]

If we assume a sublimated dose of, say, 2.25g of OA-based treatment and make sensible assumptions about how much of that might end up in the supers and again make sensible assumptions about how much weight of honey might be contaminated by the OA in the supers, you'll almost certainly find that the percentage of OA in the resulting honey is insignificant. It's probably for this reason that the authorities in the U.S. permit OA vaping with supers above the "vaped" brood box.

Do the maths!

CVB

They are assumptions ! Why on earth do we need to think of ways of corrupting the guidelines, they are surely based on current thinking, do we really want to follow the American way of keeping bees ? We need to be careful, our honey products are some of the best in the world lets try to keep it that way, we just need more of sold locally.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And I said in an emergency
The OP title is ?

 

[Ian123]

They are assumptions ! Why on earth do we need to think of ways of corrupting the guidelines,

Are ther Uk guidelines