Orange spiders

[dano41]

Hi,I found tiny red spiders on the mesh floor inspection board they were an orangy red colour and move really fast does anyone know what thy are and are they harmfull to bees?

 

[Frisbee]

Red mite, which live on chickens, gorge on their blood.......how would that work on a bee then?

They may well be red spider mite........but the chicken ones are completely different and shouldn't be confused.

Red spider mite gets lots of Google hits.....sorry I cannot answer more fully but the above annoyed me as it it so wrong. I see tiny red spiders on my OM tray, they may well just eat the fallen debris and do no harm, they don't appear on the hit list for known pest of bees.

BTW Lady M. If you think that by keeping chickens in a non wooden house will eliminate red mite, then you are wrong and need to look harder.....

Frisbee

 

[keithgrimes]

we see them all the time at the local association apiary. I think they are just common or garden spiders (one of millions of varieties) and they seem to clear up debris. I know the old hands at the apiary just ignore them. Frisbee, you are right about the chicken variety of red spider mite. They don't need wood to breed. all they need is chickens.

 

[lady malarkey]

Well, that told me...

 

[BKF Admin]

I run plastic (Omlete) chicken houses as well.

They are good for keeping red mite in check as you can power wash the house.
Also there are no crevices for the mite to hide in.

 

[oliver90owner]

no crevices

That may well be correct, but I have heard of other ways red spider have twarted cleaning attempts on some egg loos. They were perhaps earlier examples, but I have heard where they have gotten into pores or bubbles in the plastic and are difficult to eradicate. Never actually seen one of these things in the real world yet. The plastic beehaus is enough!

Regards, RAB

 

[susbees]

the scourge of hte red mite. Time for the weekly check tomorrow of the two bantam houses and the barn perches. Best to keep on top of the little blighters.

No plastic haus here either, bee or chicken.

 

[keithgrimes]

(off topic) Poultry Shield spray seems pretty effective.