Interpreting mite fall numbers after OA Vape

[Swarm]

But is that ALL he does?
If your bees have significant hygienic traits then it might just work provided there is absolutely no brood. After all, that was the basis behind LASI queens wasn’t it. It’s what the Sussex lot we’re working at and advocated till their hygienic colonies got EFB.
I always thought that treating in mid winter only left your most important bees with the highest viral load of the year, but who am I to argue with a professor of Apiculture?

One thing’s for sure, bobba, if you had left that severely infested colony till December you would have saved yourself a lot of work.

Heard on the news that meat is good again, science seems full of contradiction so I reckon you are well within your rights.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Heard on the news that meat is good again, science seems full of contradiction so I reckon you are well within your rights.

 

[Ian123]

One of the more useful LASI findings was that the most likely time to find the colony broodless was late November/early December, so that knocks the 'shortest day' mantra fairly and squarely into the beekeeping myths and magic box.

Got to wonder why they bothered with a lot of the oxalic work as I believe many reliable sources existed. Also not sure on the timings they give, in my area we normally have sources of ivy late November even early December if hard frosts hold off. I often look into nucs late into November and the queens are normally laying well as long as the ivy is still going. I did a couple of years open up a dozen nucs 1st week in jan and found no brood at that point and over a number of years have pulled a few frames when trickling. I stick to the Xmas/jan break period. A friend also ran thermometers in a few hives a couple of years and it looked like brood rearing started in most end of jan.

 

[Walrus]

For me, one winter treatment isn't enough & puts stress on winter bees.

I use the spreadsheet model developed by Randy Oliver tweaked to represent my hives/conditions. According to that model, with one winter treatment per year the colony will CRASH due to varroa overload even if you start the year with just SEVEN mites in the whole colony (it's OK with SIX mites!):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uqv9s4zvtucmq65/Varroa_Crash.png?dl=0

The trigger for the colony to crash is the percentage of worker brood cells invaded by mites (>30% = colony dies)

The chart of what I do is here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8y6nrjpe2nw0eof/RO_Varroa_Model.png?dl=0

I treat in August after honey harvest with amitraz or thymol, then with sublimed oxalic acid in mid to late November, when they should have little brood.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The chart of what I do is here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8y6nrjpe2nw0eof/RO_Varroa_Model.png?dl=0

I treat in August after honey harvest with amitraz or thymol, then with sublimed oxalic acid in mid to late November, when they should have little brood.

Do you monitor continually like Randy does and tailor your treatments or are your treatments twice yearly irrespective..... bearing in mind if you are treating one hive you should treat them all?

I do an accelerated drop in Spring before supers go on, just for my peace of mind, and I take every opportunity to vape splits when they are without brood

 

[Walrus]

Do you monitor continually like Randy does and tailor your treatments or are your treatments twice yearly irrespective..... bearing in mind if you are treating one hive you should treat them all?

I do an accelerated drop in Spring before supers go on, just for my peace of mind, and I take every opportunity to vape splits when they are without brood

I'm ashamed to admit that this season I have not monitored at all - just treated all of them regardless. In the past the mites have always been there so it's easier to just assume they always will be. I do treat broodless splits/swarms like you.

Randy and his sons do alcohol washes on all 1000 colonies as part of his queen breeding selection program. He has a funky little electric machine with a wire loop that does the shaking - apparently makes it quicker. Certainly shows I've no excuse for not doing it on my few hives.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Certainly shows I've no excuse for not doing it on my few hives.

Nah......
Treat and be done with
Those folk who are serious, and isolated enough, to be doing hygienic breeding certainly need to but common hobbyists like me?

 

[madasafish]

As we all should know beekeeping varies with local microclimates, I treat what anyone says about the best period for beeing broodless with utter disdain..

When it's from Southern England, it's even less relevant to me.

I treat early /mid December - not going to be much if any brood. Never inspected in December and am not going to try.


My bees have varroa : that is all I need to know. Some have lots, some have few... they are alll treated.

Counting drops as far as a hobby beekeepers is concerned? OCD behaviour