little red spiders

[rourkie]

hi i have been treating my hives with thymol as per the recipe on the forum. since the open mesh floors have been sealed with trays i have noticed little red spiders on trays when i looked to see what mites were falling . i think they are spider mites but the eyesights not as good as it was, the hives are about 10m from my sons chickens, question what effect if any on the bees. if they are a problem how to get rid of them. regards jim

 

[Frisbee]

I don't know the answer to your specific question, but red spider mites are not the same as red mite in poultry and poultry red mite only live on birds so even if they were the same (which they're not) they wouldn't harm the bees. I suspect you are looking at red spider mite which I believe is fairly harmless, but will stand corrected on that one.

Frisbee

 

[SJH]

Do you have a picture?

 

[Mosquito]

I have seen them also.
I can't get a picture of mine as they are a little smaller then a pin head.

 

[steve1958]

We had millions of the little red spiders crawling along the top of one of the garden walls at the back of the house last year.

They didnt appear to be a problem

 

[Mosquito]

They don't seem to be the same as the little red spiders you see on garden walls.
The ones i have got are half the size.
I can only see them using a magnifying glass.
(When I was counting vorroa.)
My eyes are not that good.

 

[minature_hero]

I noticed a few small mites (not red) today on the inspection board under the floor. They were much smaller than varroa and only one part of the board.

Here is a photo - hope it works, it was only the cameraphone so focus isnt great but the offending bugs are highlighted with red arrows, collected pollen dropped by a bee for scale with a blue arrow.

that didnt work try

click here

any special tips on posting pics for a newbee

 

[rourkie]

well done minature hero saved me trying to get a photo difficult to see clearly but that looks like them regards jim

 

[PaleoPerson]

Might be worth having them checked out, from the picture, you cannot really tell anything other than that they are small.

However, they do fall into the size range of Tropilaelaps which is notifiable. The possibility of this is extremely unlikely, but best bee safe.

Check https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/pdfs/TropilaelapsBeeMites.pdf

 

[Mosquito]

well done minature hero.
They are not Tropilaelaps as I have had a look at one on a microscope.
They look like tiny spiders.

I first notice them 3 years ago.

 

[SJH]

A way to get a reasonably good picture of something that small is to put a small x10 magnifying lens up against the lens of a digi camera.

 

[darrenperrett]

"it wasn't until I looked at Insects through a magnifying glass on a sunny day, that I realised just how many of them spontaneously combust."

Darren

 

[m100]

well done minature hero.
They are not Tropilaelaps as I have had a look at one on a microscope.
They look like tiny spiders.

I first notice them 3 years ago.

Just as well you looked closely, given your location - I've heard that the NBU inspectors tend to inspect more apairies close to international airports and that they also have bait hives located near most of them due to the risk of Tropilaelaps and Small Hive Beetle.

 

[Big robert]

I've just noticed them in one of my hives tiny does anyone no what they are yet

 

[pargyle]

Pollen mites ... live off the pollen that falls through the mesh floor.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/5858892081

I don't think they do a great deal of harm - just clearing up what the bees have dropped.

 

[Mosquito]

Nice to see a answer after 11 years.

 

[pargyle]

Nice to see a answer after 11 years.

Well.. everything comes to he who waits ! At least you are still around after all this time ... most of the others have gone ...brought back a few memories !