Sugar Dusting. Yes or No?

[madasafish]

Ever heard of Poor Beekeepers Syndrome?

Yes: they have poor honey crops as a result of poor beekeeping practises

 

[user 819]

And even more in the brood

I wasn't clear on this Dani, I was only talking of the adult bee.
Any efficacy will be sub 25% of the whole mite load and likely < 20% Where as we know sublimination of OA will catch about 96%+ of mites on adult bees and remain active to account for any emerging mites for the next 3 - 4 days before a repeat is need twice more 5 days apart.
No ripping the colony apart to dust every frame, no killing open brood. Though one may have to remove supers if honey is present, like wise with icing sugar one shouldn't be applying it with supers on or during a flow as the possibility of contaminating nectar/honey is high.

 

[Finman]

Ever heard of Poor Beekeepers Syndrome?

I have heard. Beekeeping is an expencive hobby, and if you do not harvest much honey, you will become poor.

But hobby itself, what ever it is, it takes more money than gives.

 

[madasafish]

.

But hobby itself, what ever it is, it takes more money than gives.

My beekeeping - a hobby - is profit making.
(As I advise HMRC annually of the amount, it is over the £1,000 level)

 

[BeeJam]

Every time I see randy oliver quoted I see “up to 50%”.

What does that mean? It means exactly what it says. - “less than 50%” (could even be a very small positive number, of course) but NOT EXCEEDING 50%. That alone tells me something when the highest possible result, that could be achieved, is used to forecast the outcome.

Sharks attack less (fewer?) than 200000 people a year is a true statement. The actual number is closer to 150 I believe. Lies, Damned Lies and statistics. Like you say less than 50% could be 49.9% or it could equally be 0.5%.

 

[Ian123]

Sharks attack less (fewer?) than 200000 people a year is a true statement. The actual number is closer to 150 I believe. Lies, Damned Lies and statistics. Like you say less than 50% could be 49.9% or it could equally be 0.5%.

Ah but try sprinkling icing sugar on sharks research shows it’s very effective!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Ah but try sprinkling icing sugar on sharks research shows it’s very effective!

I agree, how many people have been attacked by sharks sprinkled with icing sugar? I would guess none. so it proves how effective sugar shaking is!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thus thread is getting so entertaining I might not close after all when the poll has finished

 

[TomH]

 

[user 20528]

Ice you appear to trying to convince your self that you are correct to carry on with Icing sugar despite your poll results, carry on as you see fit. The rest of us have given you our views and if you wish not to trust in what your peers are trying to convey to you, then you are unlikely to listen to reason.

The poll is only asking to see how many people in the forum are using sugar dusting, not how effective. Every new possible treatment or new invention had a slow start. That did not mean it was bad or ineffective, only that people are stuck in their ways and don't like to try something new.

 

[user 20528]

Not forgetting that up to 50% of parasitic mites means at least half or even more of those mites remaining still on the bees.

But it keeps the numbers down. Did you not see that graph I posted?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Every new possible treatment or new invention had a slow start. That did not mean it was bad or ineffective, only that people are stuck in their ways and don't like to try something new.

It's not new though is it? the use of magic fairy dust has been bandied around for years and found to be just as ineffective now as it was when first dreamt up.

 

[user 20528]

Icing sugar belongs on a cake not in a beehive.
it isn't a recognised or licensed varroa treatment.
It damages larvae that come into contact with it.
It's sugar it ends up in honey as sucrose.

We are not dusting the supers. Any honey it gets into is in the brood box and gets eaten by the bees!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But it keeps the numbers down.

No it doesnt, or if it does, only for five minutes, so unless you subject the poor bees to a round of dead brood and blocked spiracles at least once a week its a pretty pointless, destructive and harmful pastime.

Poor bees

 

[user 20528]

Actually ... it's easier than opening the hive, taking out every frame and sprinkling all the bees with icing sugar ...

You only dust down the frames not into cells!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We are not dusting the supers. Any honey it gets into is in the brood box and gets eaten by the bees!

Do you have proof of that? and from somewhere a little bit more reliable than the comic you set so much faith on?

 

[Finman]

My beekeeping - a hobby - is profit making.
(As I advise HMRC annually of the amount, it is over the £1,000 level)

Well. One hive gives 100 kg and you may get
£ 1000 . So you are one hive professional. You can live with that money 2 weeks.

 

[user 20528]

Ah but try sprinkling icing sugar on sharks research shows it’s very effective!

Can I see the research?

 

[user 20528]

Do you have proof of that? and from somewhere a little bit more reliable than the comic you set so much faith on?

When the bees clean of the sugar it falls down. Unless you are a bad beekeeper and there is a very strong draft going up it will not get into the supers. If it does, it would be only a very minimal amount that would have no effect on the honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

When the bees knock of the sugar it falls down. Unless you are a bad beekeeper and there is a very strong draft going up it will not get into the supers. If it does, it would be only a very minimal amount that would have no effect on the honey.

Don't you think the bees will not capitalise on this 'free food' you're throwing at them, gather it up, and store it?
I suggest you invest in a decent book on beekeeping and spend some time reading it and learning about bees.