Icing sugar

[rob bone]

Hi all
I was wondering if anybody sprinkles icing sugar on their girls after they have done an inspections and if so does it drop the vorroa mite numbers in the hive. thanks rob.

 

[Silly Bee]

This was recommended to me. The girls don't groom themselves, sprinkling them with icing sugar and the groom each other. Unless you have a varroa floor though, its not as effective since they can climb back on, I think 8mm gap was minimum recommended. (Between mesh and inspection board)

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Think I have seen a number of earlier posts on this subject saying that it is only marginally effective, since the large majority of the varroa mites are happily installed in sealed drone cells (still plenty of drone cells round here!).

 

[MuswellMetro]

I did it for the first time last weekend ,with a very light sprinkle from a flour sifter, had normally a varroa drop of 5 to 10 per week,

dusting knocked off 20 in 15 minutes and a futher 20 by next days

why did i dust well a friends hives not treated with oxalic last winter dropped 500 in the first 15 minutes when dusted by the SBI who diagnosed Defromed wing syndrom

iwould not use it regulary, as icing sugar and brood jeely does not go well and set like concrete

does it work as a varroa control, i doubt it as only 20% of varroa are out of brood cells in any one day

 

[Black Comb]

Someone in USA or Canada did a scientific study and found it makes no difference.

It's on here somewhere but I can't find it.

 

[Firegazer]

I think studies have shown that it IS an effective treatment at times in the colony life-cycle when there isn't much brood-rearing going on; at these times (new swarm, in the Winter, not sure when else) it clobbers 30% or so of the mites.

If you try it at a random time of year, it probably wouldn't be effective.

HTH

FG

 

[dolbz]

http://www.culturaapicola.com.ar/apuntes/revistaselectronicas/apidologie/32-2/fakhim.pdf

This research from University of Helsinki shows that it is effective at increasing drop down of the mite.

I think the fact that a large percentage of the mites are in sealed cells shouldn't automatically write it off. You could do regular applications over a number of inspections to have a significant effect on mite numbers.

As an experienced beek at our association said '1 mite at the start of the season is worth 40 at the end'. Therefore any that get knocked off is going to help.

 

[Arfermo]

I think studies have shown that it IS an effective treatment at times in the colony life-cycle when there isn't much brood-rearing going on; at these times (new swarm, in the Winter, not sure when else) it clobbers 30% or so of the mites.

If you try it at a random time of year, it probably wouldn't be effective.

HTH

FG

I have read several times that, after detailed studies by experts in the field icing sugar, is pretty ineffective for the reason given above - much of the mite problem is buried in the brood cells, principally drone cells. For that reason, drone cell capping is often practised during the active season. As for Firegazers comment, it is my understanding that getting a newly collected swarm is an ideal time to treat with Oxalic acid. In solution it doesn't keep very well which is why I prefer the evaporation method; also trickling according to everything that I have read is a one-off whereas evaporation can be done several times until the mite drop is reduced to a tolerable level.