Sudden huge mite drop!?

[Eyeman]

The running total for a month is 6380

Any clue from an earlier sugar roll that the numbers were that high?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Any clue from an earlier sugar roll that the numbers were that high?

A colony with that many mites in the brood should be dead
I didn't do one. I did an accelerated drop before supers and that was 10. An accelerated drop when supers came off was 180. Perhaps I should have risked MAQS?
I'll put the inter vape counts up later.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've given in and ordered some Apitraz

 

[Beefriendly]

I'm not giving in!
Just done 10th vape today......
There cannot be many mites left in this damn colony. I'm going to give them a 2 week break now.
If my problem colony had been one headed by my expensive Island mated queens then I would have given in quite a while back.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm not giving in!
Just done 10th vape today......
There cannot be many mites left in this damn colony. I'm going to give them a 2 week break now.
If my problem colony had been one headed by my expensive Island mated queens then I would have given in quite a while back.

If I was down to 48 mites in 48 hours I think I might join you in not giving up.
7th Vape was two days ago.
Count overnight was 400
This morning 350
There are two frames of young brood in there and with numbers still that high they are a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Beefriendly]

7th Vape was two days ago.
Count overnight was 400
This morning 350

That is an impressive problem hive! Don't blame you for going for the strips...
It will be interesting to see how many more drop...

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have been talking to somebody else who had a similar problem. He tells me that a bee can carry 12 mites and rather than my bees robbing a collapsing colony it is the colony bees that have abandoned their dead brood and invaded my hive. Anybody have an opinion on that?
Also there is an interesting article in the Welsh beekeeper from Wally Shaw about a possible introduction of a more aggressively breeding mite.

 

[Eyeman]

I have been talking to somebody else who had a similar problem. He tells me that a bee can carry 12 mites and rather than my bees robbing a collapsing colony it is the colony bees that have abandoned their dead brood and invaded my hive. Anybody have an opinion on that?
Also there is an interesting article in the Welsh beekeeper from Wally Shaw about a possible introduction of a more aggressively breeding mite.

Assuming the brood must be knackered and that is where the mites are hiding I would be inclined to remove all the brood and re-vape. That should get them all unless they are coming in from outside ?

 

[beeno]

I have been talking to somebody else who had a similar problem. He tells me that a bee can carry 12 mites and rather than my bees robbing a collapsing colony it is the colony bees that have abandoned their dead brood and invaded my hive. Anybody have an opinion on that?
Also there is an interesting article in the Welsh beekeeper from Wally Shaw about a possible introduction of a more aggressively breeding mite.

I would have thought that you would have seen fighting in those circumstances unless the true state of your colony is weak! I would check out the brood frames though as suggested.

 

[JWF]

Assuming the brood must be knackered and that is where the mites are hiding I would be inclined to remove all the brood and re-vape. That should get them all unless they are coming in from outside ?

That's exactly what I thought when I saw that there was only two frames of brood.

Either remove the entire frames, replace them with drawn frames, and then examine the brood to see what's in there, or rip out all the brood and then vape immediately afterwards.

If that doesn't sort it, the mites must be coming from outside the colony.

It's a bit late for losing bees but it would seem to be a risk worth taking.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's exactly what I thought when I saw that there was only two frames of brood.

Either remove the entire frames, replace them with drawn frames, and then examine the brood to see what's in there, or rip out all the brood and then vape immediately afterwards.

If that doesn't sort it, the mites must be coming from outside the colony.

It's a bit late for losing bees but it would seem to be a risk worth taking.

The capped brood is out. Only eggs and young larvae remain and I am vaping every three days till the Apitraz arrives.

 

[Fritillary]

Here, I treated with Apiguard this autumn. (Other treatments inc Amitraz in the past.) The bees were inspected this week - 3 weeks in. In one hive, as in all, there'd been a brood break (common hereabouts this autumn) which coincided here with the A being applied. A heavy drop underneath throughout, but we found also varroa still on some adult bees and some abandoned open brood which was sprinkled with varroa. Even the inspector was surprised to see this. (I felt terrible that obviously I should have done something sooner.) At least the brood break was probably the best thing the queen could have done- ?
So I'd been thinking: must invest in a vaporiser!

 

[Eyeman]

Here, I treated with Apiguard this autumn. (Other treatments inc Amitraz in the past.) The bees were inspected this week - 3 weeks in. In one hive, as in all, there'd been a brood break (common hereabouts this autumn) which coincided here with the A being applied. A heavy drop underneath throughout, but we found also varroa still on some adult bees and some abandoned open brood which was sprinkled with varroa. Even the inspector was surprised to see this. (I felt terrible that obviously I should have done something sooner.) At least the brood break was probably the best thing the queen could have done- ?
So I'd been thinking: must invest in a vaporiser!

What I'm reading is that it can be difficult to get those mite numbers down in some colonies once they rise into the several thousands. This seems to be especially true for OA vaping.
The answer is clearly to treat whenever the numbers get above your threshold (1000 mites?). Something that requires extra work and effort but may benefit the bees in the longterm.
Another option is, if relying on vaping alone, then if after x3 vapes the drop is still significant then at that stage sacrifice all the capped brood before vaping once more.
Of course the problem may be coming from mite infested colonies being robbed out!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Drop three days after last vape was 175
Apitraz in yesterday
Drop this morning 180
Watch this space

 

[Millet]

Drop three days after last vape was 175
Apitraz in yesterday
Drop this morning 180
Watch this space

Good luck, two of my colonies had a good spell of brood break through one Queen going of lay through robbing and another colony was Q - for nearly 6wks, both of those colonies have dropped virtually nothing, it does not help you but it shows that a brood break does help, well it did for me.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yep, a brood break will slow down reproduction of the mites and is a way that surviving feral colonies cope.
These were a swarm that was hived at the end of June....
With this number of mites they must be coming from outside, i.e. they are robbing a collapsing colony.
Anyway.....last chance saloon

 

[charlievictorbravo]

My problem hive has just dropped 240 mites in 48 hours after its 8th vape - total of over 2600 since the start of treatments. Do I keep going with vaping or try something else?

Is it too late to use Hm's Thymol mix?

CVB

 

[Fritillary]

My problem hive has just dropped 240 mites in 48 hours after its 8th vape - total of over 2600 since the start of treatments. Do I keep going with vaping or try something else?

Is it too late to use Hm's Thymol mix?

CVB

HM's mix isn't intended to be a varroa treatment, is it? You could though try a thymol varroa treatment e.g. Apiguard, or Apilife Var perhaps, or something else. But at least your vaporising has obviously been working!

 

[Erichalfbee]

My problem hive has just dropped 240 mites in 48 hours after its 8th vape - total of over 2600 since the start of treatments. Do I keep going with vaping or try something else?

Is it too late to use Hm's Thymol mix?

CVB

I have spare Apivar if you want a couple of strips. I can get them in the post today. That's what I have put in mine after 7 vapes and huge numbers still dropping

HM's mix isn't intended to be a varroa treatment, is it? You could though try a thymol varroa treatment e.g. Apiguard, or Apilife Var perhaps, or something else. But at least your vaporising has obviously been working!

HM has a thymol mix that goes on pads. I think that is what CVB means

 

[Fritillary]

HM has a thymol mix that goes on pads. I think that is what CVB means

Thanks EricA - I hadn't seen that one and must check it out.