icing sugar dusting

[gill68]

I came across this on ebay, which is used in poultry for getting diatom powder into the crevices of chicken houses to prevent red mite.

Powder Pesticide Insecticide Dust APPLICATOR Diatom


On the face of it, it looks like it might work to puff icing sugar either in between frames or up through a top bar ( as Phil Chandler, I think, suggests)
I have bought one, but unfortunately, my top bar bees are on their way out and everything is a little unsettled with my other hive ( bad tempered so and so's who I am requeening) so I didn't think it was a great idea to smother them with icing sugar at the moment.
I have, in the past, sprinkled icing sugar over the top of the brood box through mesh and brushed it inbetween the frames, but that always seemed to make them clear off! I always thought that at least it was something you could do that may have some impact on varroa numbers while there was a honey flow on. I know it is limited because most of the mites will be in brood cells.

 

[Silly Bee]

Do you have OPM floors? Unless you have, any varroa that get displaced, just hop back on.

 

[BKF Admin]

I thought it had been proved now that sugar dusting does not work?

 

[Silly Bee]

Don't know about that admin, but one of members swears by it.

 

[steve1958]

and it keeps the Bees sweet

 

[bee ginnner]

why not trap them in drone brood?

 

[Chris Luck]

I thought it had been proved now that sugar dusting does not work?

Proved? Please do go on I'm seriously fascinated to know who by and how the trial was run.

As I have said before, I do it at the end of season but have no idea whether it has any effect but I do like to see the bees all covered in it.

Puffing things at bees never seems a good idea to me gill68, bees really don't like "puffs" in my experience, but they do seem to enjoy gentle sprays or simple dusting.

Chris

 

[ROACHMAN]

Local Bee Inspector swears by icing sugar.

I do icing sugar and drone brood removal, the more strings to the bow the better

 

[Finman]

.
There are many researches which prove that sugar dusting does not work.

 

[Chris Luck]

There are many researches which prove that sugar dusting does not work.

Can you supply something a bit more substantive like some names and links?

Chris

 

[Finman]

.
I am writing with mobile phone. Impossible to give links. You find reseaches from google.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Every mite that falls off after sugar dusting is one that isnt going 2 breed,, ive done mine 3 times this week and cut a few drone brood out.. Quite afew not going 2 breed in my hives this week

 

[milkermel]

Well I for one am considering it along with giveing them a dose of hiveclean. I think the hive I am looking after has an issue developing. doing a mite count this week, but was wondering Hiveclean says everyother week so thought I might dust on the middle week??? feel free to shout at me about hiveclean I realise there are some that dont like it, but have never tried it and had several people say it helped so. . . .

With regards to dusting i seem to remember someone saying to grind sugar yourself, is it a pestle and mortar job or is there an easier way??

 

[susbees]

It doesn't grind up anything like as fine as icing sugar. I think the confusion comes from Americans calling icing sugar powdered sugar.

 

[Tom Bick]

It’s the additive that’s put in icing sugar that some consider harmful to bees

Icing Sugar Anty-caking agent: Tricalcium Phosphate (E341)

I understand you can get an extra fine Icing Sugar without the anty caking agent

 

[Finman]

Every mite that falls off after sugar dusting is one that isnt going 2 breed,, ive done mine 3 times this week and cut a few drone brood out.. Quite afew not going 2 breed in my hives this week

sounds desperate job.
80% of mites are under brood caps.

 

[m.s.]

Some say apply it in season every day, some say every 3 days, some say every 7 days, some say it works some say it doesn't. some swear by essential oils alone while others swear by oxcilic or formic acid treatments yet others swear using small cell is all that's needed. some say its natural, some say it's not natural. Some large commercial outfits swear by other methods.

if powdered sugar dosen't harm bees or add chemicals to comb, whats wrong with it as part of an IPM strategy?

 

[BobH1]

... some say it works some say it doesn't. ...if powdered sugar dosen't harm bees or add chemicals to comb, whats wrong with it as part of an IPM strategy?

If it doesn't work, there may be nothing wrong with it, but what's the point of wasting your effort?

 

[Silly Bee]

Some say apply it in season every day, some say every 3 days, some say every 7 days, some say it works some say it doesn't. some swear by essential oils alone while others swear by oxcilic or formic acid treatments yet others swear using small cell is all that's needed. some say its natural, some say it's not natural. Some large commercial outfits swear by other methods.

if powdered sugar dosen't harm bees or add chemicals to comb, whats wrong with it as part of an IPM strategy?

Or, to put it another way.

Ask 10 beekeepers a question, and get 15 different answers.

 

[BKF Admin]

I think this thread may have legs.

Finman can you point at some papers when you can?