Hypoaspis for varroa control?

[carbon]

I've heard that you can get mites that eat other mites. Does anyone out there have experience of using Hypoaspis mites to control Varroa loads? From what I've read online they are widely used to control mite infestations in reptiles etc, but do they work within the confines of the hive? And if so, what is the best place to source them, and how to use?

 

[enrico]

I honestly think that if it was that easy we would all be doing it......no knowledge sorry
E

 

[Finman]

.
There are not such mites.
You heard it 1. of April?

 

[The Cumbrian]

.
There are not such mites.
You heard it 1. of April?

For once Finman you are wrong Hypoaspis miles (Stratiolaelaps miles) definitely exists. However I doubt they will ever be much use against varroa as they usually live in soil/leaf litter.

 

[carbon]

For once Finman you are wrong Hypoaspis miles (Stratiolaelaps miles) definitely exists. However I doubt they will ever be much use against varroa as they usually live in soil/leaf litter.

True, but then honey bees usually live in hollow trees several metres off the ground.

From a recent article in a well known journal (p14) that no doubt some of you will read:

"Hypoaspis miles, a predator mite, that feeds exclusively on mites, is indigenous to the UK and mainland Europe and has been used for years in commercial horticulture, and more recently with poultry, pet birds, reptiles and tarantulas to control mite problems. It has also recently been shown to consume varroa happily."

You see Enrico, not every good idea has already been thought of. But rather than speculate, let's hear from anyone out there who has actual experience of this form of biological control.

Anyone?

 

[enrico]

I'm not suggesting every idea has been thought of, I was merely saying that if it has been thought of, and it works, I wish someone had told me and everyone else! I'm all in favour of biological control of mites and would like to think that government money was helping to test such ideas for the future. Methinks it isn't here yet but I will be leaping on the bandwagon when it is available. How would anyone have experience if this type of control when it it isn't available at the moment...... Don't get me wrong.....I'm all for it.
E

 

[carbon]

It is available: Look at the defenders.co.uk page on sciarid fly control.

I'm tempted to give it a try...

 

[enrico]

Sorry.... I should have guessed that that is where I should have gone to find out..... Oh for physic powers as well as voroa eating mites.!!!
E

 

[BeeJayBee]

I've heard that you can get mites that eat other mites.

There have been a couple of threads about how pseudoscorpions might be useful

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=16504
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=15174

 

[For want of a better word]

and every flea has another flea upon its back to bite em... and so on ad infinite'm


obviously no cash in this for Bayer et al !

 

[DanBee]

However I doubt they will ever be much use against varroa as they usually live in soil/leaf litter.

A return to solid floorboards perhaps? Thriving ecosystem under the colony but accessible for policing... it might just catch on

 

[The Cumbrian]

A return to solid floorboards perhaps? Thriving ecosystem under the colony but accessible for policing... it might just catch on

I have a half remembered thought about somebody who was trialling a hive with shavings etc in the bottom to provide a home for "beasties" which might prey on varroa, but I think they were larger things like centipedes.

Now if you could find something that would live in there and see off Varroa & Small Hive Beetle you could be on to a winner.

 

[DanBee]

Have a read up on pseudoscorpions living in beehives...

 

[VEG]

I thought the title read

Hypnosis for varroa control lol

 

[carbon]

Thanks for all the comments so far (some more helpful than others), but I'm not looking for information about pseudoscorpions. I'm wondering whether anyone out there has actually tried using Hypoaspis miles mites for varroa control, and if so, what's the most effective way to apply. Biocontrol seems a very sensible way forward with varroa and if people are using mites for other livestock (pets etc) perhaps there are lessons to learn. I suppose a good starting point might be an online herptile forum -- any suggestions?

 

[VEG]

try google

 

[BeeJayBee]

... I'm not looking for information about pseudoscorpions.

Clearly not, but it could be useful to cross-reference because they like to live in leaf litter etc, the same as Hyoapsis miles, so if somebody's successfully used Chelifers and/or Trombidiidae (Velvet mites) against varroa they might also have had success with Hyoapsis.

You might find that they will eat some of the varroa that fall off bees, but won't actually go up onto the frames to target the phoretic mites or those actually on the bees.

There's some stuff about them on a snail forum http://www.petsnails.co.uk/documents/hypoaspis-miles.html

 

[RoofTops]

Interesting idea but from the Defenders page they like temperatures between 16 & 30C so it might be a bit warm for them in a brood box but the main problem might be that adult varroa are just too tough for them. It says they eat the fly larva but prefer the younger stages of the larva. As they will only find the younger stages of varroa inside cells this could be an issue unless they actually went into the cell - but then they might feed on the bee larva!

 

[carbon]

Interesting idea but from the Defenders page they like temperatures between 16 & 30C so it might be a bit warm for them in a brood box

I guess it depends if that's an optimum temperature or whether they just won't tolerate temps >30 degrees.

but then they might feed on the bee larva!

From what I've found out so far they are specialist predators, feeding only on mites.

On the petsnails web page (thanks BJ) it says this:

"They are adept hunters, fast-moving over substrate surfaces, able to climb over various obstacles and consume perhaps 5 prey items per day. It appears they will tackle anything of similar size to themselves and possibly even a little larger. They are also scavengers and can feed on soil debris and vegetable matter in the absence of suitable prey."

Sounds promising to me...

 

[rich]

Hi,
I design, as well as use biological programmes, and use Hyoapsis along with many other biological control agents within my field of work on a weekly basis, ranging through bugs, nematodes and fungi.

Hyoapsis, I'm pretty sure won't be that affective, as they really only attack soft bodied prey, (eggs & 1st stage larvae) and I doubt that adult varroa would come into that category.
The eggs and larval stages of the varroa are within the capped cell; again I very much doubt that Hyoapsis could live very long in that environment with the high temperatures.
So all in all, it maybe worth a try, but I very much doubt there would be any appreciative drop in numbers.

Metarhizium anisopliase, would be well worth a look at, in the past there has been trial work on it for varroa control, and with some good results, but for some reason there just doesn’t seem to be the will to take and develop it further. Application and stability of product I believe being given as the reasons.

I did have an "accident" last autumn, and some of the fungi managed to spill into one of my hives.
After a week I thought I'd better at least check the varroa tray. Not a pesky varroa to be found on the tray. Oh well, stick the on the Apigaurd, me thinks.
Again seven days after applying the Apiguard, do a check, still nothing.
Umm now I don't believe in the varroa resistant bee, not yet at least, but I may well be looking very carefully at that colony over the coming months.
And yes, all the other colonies, which there are 9 of in that apery, had a mite fall; the hive is just my standard format, 350mm high open stand, with an OMF.