life of a varroa mite?

[oxnatbees]

This is one situation where I would hit the equipment with OA, formic acid , bleach, freezing, scorching and consider writing off the equipment and seeing if I could claim it on insurance. If you know who imported the varroa you could ask them to pay.

Fleas can live several months away from a host. I would assume worst case for varroa. Why take chances?

Varroa arrived in Britain in 1992. By 1993 it was all over the mainland. It was spread by moving equipment.

 

[Boston Bees]

Varroa arrived in Britain in 1992. By 1993 it was all over the mainland. It was spread by moving equipment.

Equipment with bees in

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fleas can live several months away from a host. I would assume worst case for varroa. Why take chances?

Mites? Five days

 

[Clivewoodford]

Red mite (chickens) 8 months

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Red mite (chickens) 8 months

but bees aren't chickens

 

[JamezF]

but bees aren't chickens

Damn good job, too. Imagine if there were loads of chickens queueing up to sting you whenever you opened up the hen house and they weren't in the best of moods...

James

 

[Boston Bees]

Red mite (chickens) 8 months

Anything that lives up a chicken's bum must be pretty much unkillable, so this doesn't surprise me

 

[Erichalfbee]

Anything that lives up a chicken's bum must be pretty much unkillable, so this doesn't surprise me

 

[Finman]

Varroa don’t leave bees except to jump into a brood cell.

Or it jumps to flower, and from flower onto to snother bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or it jumps to flower, and from flower onto to snother bees.

Yes I think I wrote that somewhere else too.
Yes here.

You might find a dead one.
I sometimes find live ones on the inspection tray. They can move pretty fast.
Occasionally they jump off a bee and can be found on flowers waiting for another.
Why are you worried about the odd varroa?

 

[Wilco]

This is one situation where I would hit the equipment with OA, formic acid , bleach, freezing, scorching and consider writing off the equipment and seeing if I could claim it on insurance. If you know who imported the varroa you could ask them to pay.

Fleas can live several months away from a host. I would assume worst case for varroa. Why take chances?

Varroa arrived in Britain in 1992. By 1993 it was all over the mainland. It was spread by moving equipment.

The pupal stage of fleas can remain in the environment up to two years. The adult cannot and needs a host or will die in days. Hence control involves treating the animal and the environment.

Anything that lives up a chicken's bum must be pretty much unkillable, so this doesn't surprise me

Red mite doesn't, it lives in the housing and usually climbs onto the hens to feed in the dark except in really bad infestations. This is why control often involves treating housing (apart from Exzolt).

Northern fowl mite does live on the bird but not inside the bum, just typically it's found around the vent area which is why you look there to diagnose.