What's wrong with my hive?

[Lazy K]

Best to give them a treatment now so they an build up nicely.
If using the vaping OA technique give them 4 vapes at 5 day intervals to cover one complete brood cycle which includes drones. If no drone cells are laid up then one can simply go 3 vapes at 5 day intervals.

The weather is about to turn bad again but I plan on moving the colony to a small box this morning and vaping them. I don't think there are any drone cells in this hive. Then when the weather clears up I'll start treating the other hives.

 

[pargyle]

How often do you personally test for varroa? Thanks for the information.

Because I'm treatment free I keep a very close watch on mite levels .. I used to do every colony every inspection but after 10+ years I get to know what they look like so I do a couple of my colonies when I open them up - but - if you are going to treat your bees I'd just do a sugar roll if I had any concerns about the colony and perhaps one early in the season, one mid and one end. It's interesting to see how mite levels can fluctuate in the same colony and from colony to colony.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Any thoughts on that?

As JBM inferred: effort wasted on a poor method.

 

[ericbeaumont]

vaping them

Without drone, gas on day 1, 6, & 11.

 

[Lazy K]

Because I'm treatment free I keep a very close watch on mite levels .. I used to do every colony every inspection but after 10+ years I get to know what they look like so I do a couple of my colonies when I open them up - but - if you are going to treat your bees I'd just do a sugar roll if I had any concerns about the colony and perhaps one early in the season, one mid and one end. It's interesting to see how mite levels can fluctuate in the same colony and from colony to colony.

How do you keep the mites away? I'm always interested in 'treatment free'. Obviously a long topic and not enough space in this forum.

 

[Lazy K]

The colony is now in a small box and vaped (with more to come). I took Michael Palmer's advice and pulled out 6 pupae from the comb. 3 looked perfect, 2 appeared to have no wings and one had deformed wings.

Thanks everyone for advise!

 

[Erichalfbee]

How do you keep the mites away? I'm always interested in 'treatment free'. Obviously a long topic and not enough space in this forum.

Ask here. You’ll get plenty of advice
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/forums/treatment-free-beekeeping.98/

 

[Lazy K]

Ask here. You’ll get plenty of advice
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/forums/treatment-free-beekeeping.98/

Perfect! Thank you.

 

[pargyle]

The colony is now in a small box and vaped (with more to come). I took Michael Palmer's advice and pulled out 6 pupae from the comb. 3 looked perfect, 2 appeared to have no wings and one had deformed wings.

Thanks everyone for advise!
View attachment 35819

With DWV in evidence I would not consider going TF ... the first thing before you even think about TF is to do regular testing for varroa ... so many factors are involved in being able to have healthy and thriving colonies that can survive when there is varroa present (and there will always be varroa present). You have to check the mite levels regularly and only consider being TF if and when you are confident that your colonies, in your location, with your beekeeping, have maintained low levels of varroa, consistently for a significant period. Be prepared to treat if mite levels seem to be escalating out of control - it's a hard road to follow, there are no silver bullets and you risk losing colonies if the mite load is too much for them. Not something to dive into and hope for the best ...

 

[Lazy K]

With DWV in evidence I would not consider going TF ... the first thing before you even think about TF is to do regular testing for varroa ... so many factors are involved in being able to have healthy and thriving colonies that can survive when there is varroa present (and there will always be varroa present). You have to check the mite levels regularly and only consider being TF if and when you are confident that your colonies, in your location, with your beekeeping, have maintained low levels of varroa, consistently for a significant period. Be prepared to treat if mite levels seem to be escalating out of control - it's a hard road to follow, there are no silver bullets and you risk losing colonies if the mite load is too much for them. Not something to dive into and hope for the best ...

I agree. I did not hesitate to start OA knowing I had a problem. I didn't check the mite level first (I probably should have) but I'm in Panic Mode. I will start checking the mite load with the sugar roll method regularly. I really do live in the Middle of Nowhere and to my knowledge there are no beekeepers for several miles and only occassionally am I aware of feral bees in the forest. I'm hoping that in the future I can go treatment free or at least incorporate a more natural approach.

 

[pargyle]

I agree. I did not hesitate to start OA knowing I had a problem. I didn't check the mite level first (I probably should have) but I'm in Panic Mode. I will start checking the mite load with the sugar roll method regularly. I really do live in the Middle of Nowhere and to my knowledge there are no beekeepers for several miles and only occassionally am I aware of feral bees in the forest. I'm hoping that in the future I can go treatment free or at least incorporate a more natural approach.

OA by sublimation is about the nearest you can get to being treatment free without actually stopping treatment altogether. It's a naturally occurring organic acid (present in rhubarb leaves and other plants). The bees don't seem to mind it at all, it is very effective as a mite killer and there are no significant residues left in the hive after treatment. If your sugar rolls show any significant mite levels then I would treat them with OA.

As part of the process of getting closer to a 'natural' way of keeping bees (and if you are keeping honey bees in hives then by definition you are already doing something that contradicts the term natural). A good place to start is to let them build their own comb by just giving them empty frames with starter strips to give them something to build on. I use triangular strips of timber, under the top bar, paintp p with the point facing downwards and I paint it with their own beeswax to give them a start.

I work on the principle that nothing goes into the hive that the bees don't bring in - that does not preclude feeding them if they need it but I try and let them live on their own stores and forage as much as possible.

Look at insulation - all my hives are heavily insulated - the bees then find it easy to maintain the colony temperature and humidity that they want with minimal expenditure of energy. At least 50mm of the best insulation you can get on top of the crownboard and below the roof.

You may find that these simple measures have an effect on varroa loads on their own. It's a good starting point on your journey towards being TF but it's a long road and not one to tread with impatience.

 

[Lazy K]

OA by sublimation is about the nearest you can get to being treatment free without actually stopping treatment altogether. It's a naturally occurring organic acid (present in rhubarb leaves and other plants). The bees don't seem to mind it at all, it is very effective as a mite killer and there are no significant residues left in the hive after treatment. If your sugar rolls show any significant mite levels then I would treat them with OA.

As part of the process of getting closer to a 'natural' way of keeping bees (and if you are keeping honey bees in hives then by definition you are already doing something that contradicts the term natural). A good place to start is to let them build their own comb by just giving them empty frames with starter strips to give them something to build on. I use triangular strips of timber, under the top bar, paintp p with the point facing downwards and I paint it with their own beeswax to give them a start.

I work on the principle that nothing goes into the hive that the bees don't bring in - that does not preclude feeding them if they need it but I try and let them live on their own stores and forage as much as possible.

Look at insulation - all my hives are heavily insulated - the bees then find it easy to maintain the colony temperature and humidity that they want with minimal expenditure of energy. At least 50mm of the best insulation you can get on top of the crownboard and below the roof.

You may find that these simple measures have an effect on varroa loads on their own. It's a good starting point on your journey towards being TF but it's a long road and not one to tread with impatience.

I was just given a Top Bar hive so I'll be experiencing bees making their own comb when I it get up and running. And I've heard that when they make their own comb they have less varroa because they control the size of the openings. True? And thanks for the info on insulation. I'll need to add some.

 

[Swarm]

Have you considered VSH queens? Cory Stevens sells VSH virgin queens and encourages buyers not to treat the colonies they head. They are raised from inseminated queens, VSH verified mothers and drones.
Maybe what you are looking for.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've heard that when they make their own comb they have less varroa because they control the size of the openings. True?

false

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was just given a Top Bar hive so I'll be experiencing bees making their own comb when I it get up and running. And I've heard that when they make their own comb they have less varroa because they control the size of the openings. True? And thanks for the info on insulation. I'll need to add some.

Half my colonies are foundation free. They make lots more drones than the colonies on foundation.

 

[Lazy K]

Have you considered VSH queens? Cory Stevens sells VSH virgin queens and encourages buyers not to treat the colonies they head. They are raised from inseminated queens, VSH verified mothers and drones.
Maybe what you are looking for.

I'm in the USA but I know they sell them here. I'll have to do some research on the efficacy of VSH queens. But my main problem with that is that I would have to "retire"(!) the old queen and I'M NEVER ABLE TO FIND the queen in my hives. I just know the queens are in the hive because I have eggs, etc. VSH queen might be worth looking into when I (hopefully) split a hive this year.

 

[Lazy K]

Half my colonies are foundation free. They make lots more drones than the colonies on foundation.

Very interesting. I guess that makes sense because when the bees make comb that hangs down from the bottom of the frame it's always drones.

 

[Ian123]

Very interesting. I guess that makes sense because when the bees make comb that hangs down from the bottom of the frame it's always drones.

How and when they build drone comb will depend very much on the size of colony and time of year!
I see on your location your New Mexico?…Do you have any issues with Africanised bees is that something you’ve had experience with. Although it may solve your varroa issue! Or does your elevation prevent them in your locality?
Should add I saw you mentioned natural/small cell…The vast majority found it didn’t work, the biggest proponents had been working with AHB and it may have rather clouding their findings

 

[Swarm]

I'm in the USA but I know they sell them here. I'll have to do some research on the efficacy of VSH queens. But my main problem with that is that I would have to "retire"(!) the old queen and I'M NEVER ABLE TO FIND the queen in my hives. I just know the queens are in the hive because I have eggs, etc. VSH queen might be worth looking into when I (hopefully) split a hive this year.

He is in Missouri.
https://www.stevensbeeco.com/

 

[pargyle]

"And I've heard that when they make their own comb they have less varroa because they control the size of the openings. True?"

There is no hard or repeatable evidence that smaller cells have any appreciable influence on the mite loads in a colony ...I think it was Dee Lusby that was championing that particular idea but it's not a silver bullet. It may have some effect on varroa but who knows ? Nothing proved. My view .. if you are foundationless then the bees will produce the comb that they want to produce - generally about 20% of the cells will be drone cells .. if that's what they want then who am I to force them to do what I want ? There are those who will say that a lot of drones reduce the honey crop but as I'm not a commercial beekeeper then it would not bother me if it did .. although I've seen no evidence in my hives that it makes any difference.