Mite treatments, do or die
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 03. 2021
- Of all the things I attempt to teach on these videos this is, perhaps, the most important. 90% of honeybee hive deaths are caused by mites and the knock-on results of mite infestation. Treating for mites, which treatment to use and when to apply are the most important husbandry tips I can give. I suggest you watch this video, long as it is, again and again, until you really understand mites and how to deal with them. It really is, do or die! This is part 1 of 2 videos on mites Intervention and prevention. Check out the Bee Whisperer website at www.beewhisperer.us
I take delivery of my first bees in about a month and was seeking this information. I now feel more knowledgeable about how to battle mites in my hives. I have watched many videos on battling mites, but this is the first one that provides a prescriptive approach specifically for my area of the country. Thank you so much! I hope one day to meet you and shake your hand.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank You Peter. This gives me more cofindence on the details of Mite treatments. Thanks for the review. I will be replaying this just prior to treatments so I don't forget the details.
Thank you, might as well learn from the hives I lost in the past rather than repeating that yourself!
VERY informative! Better than several other videos that I have watched. Especially since I too, live in Maine. I particularly got a kick out of learning that the mite reproductive cycle is the same as the people that I met while living in the deep south.
Oh no!
Wow really an excellent presentation on treating mites and sharing your strategies. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I use a misting bottle with sugar water and propolis oil mix instead of a smoker. It helps with mites. Also helps with robbing when collecting honey. Sticky bee's need cleaned before they can fly. If a mite looses a leg it dies all the fluid drains out. It's why powdered sugar works in moist places. The mites get sticky and can't move and if they do they break off body parts. Look at the mites in the powdered sugar. Mites feed on the fat bodies in the bees. Virus and bacteria then effect the bees. I do spring splits for brood breaks. I plant natural treatment plants around the hives. Like rhubarb, leeks, garlic, onions, thyme and others. Like giving bee's a natural medicine cabinet. Fresh cut wood to make propolis. Many tree saps have antibacterial properties. Take notes some hives get mite more often the others. Like ones by apples trees with rotten apples. Mites like vinegar smell. Bee drift than spreads the mites. The more bees in a small area the greater chances of spreading stuff. Most apiaries are no different than a chicken warehouse packed with sick animals. I only get up to camp 3 times a year to check on bees. So they get misted 6 times a year. Twice each holiday week memorial day, 4th of July, and Labor day. But do have vaporizer just in case of a mite bomb. Northern Michigan so I have long winter which does also seem to help with mites. I worry about bears ripping a nail board off and destroying a hive more than mites. Are bees the only things the mites live on? Are other bee's the only source of mites in the wild? Maybe throw some dried rhubarb leaves and thyme in the smoker to help. I consider these to be preventive not actually treatments like acids.
Varroa mites are specifc to honeybees. Thanks for the comments
Thank you! As a new Beekeeper, this is exactly what I have been looking for.
Glad it was helpful!
After just losing my second hive (I only had one hive each year--maybe I'll rethink that and get 2 next Spring), I really wanted to learn more about controlling mites and WHEN to do the treatments. I was trying to do the more "natural" approach with essential oils and other "soft" treatments. I was following the advice of an experienced beekeeper who does not live in my area (I am in CT). Didn't work for my bees. This hive was an astonishing group of bees that went from a package in May to about 80,000 bees by July. They speedily built comb to fill my large-capacity top bar hive and were storing honey like crazy. They were also very nice bees. It was heartbreaking to lose them--and so quickly. From 80,000 in July, they were sick and GONE by October 10th. You would not believe how hard it is to find practical, how-and-when and what-method-treatment coaching. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
I do believe it, keep an eye on my fb page The Bee Whisperer, for our membership mentoring group coming soon.
If I may give an important update. The strength of alcohol makes a BIG difference to the accuracy of the count. You want over 90% by volume or your reading can be significantly lower than the true amount. An alternative to this is ordinary Dawn dish-soap: 2 tablespoons to a gallon of water. It does the same job as 90% pure alcohol, but you must let the bees soak in it for 2 minutes before you shake them unlike with alcohol.
I may switch over.
Now in my 3rd year I'm coming to some of the same conclusions. Hopefully new and effective treatments that don't break the bank will continue to evolve and be available. Great video and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Crucial!
Great information, much appreciated!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video!!! I agree with you about the timeline of treatments. I have had really good outcomes by using formic in late July and oxalic for those bees that are expected to overwinter. I am also loath to open the hives after I take September honey. Of course, that means we cannot test for mites for those autumn treatments.
Thank you.
Thank you! Another great video
My pleasure!
Thank you for a very informative vlog 👍
Great information for me since i lost all 4 of my hives . i only treated 1 time after the supers came off . i got bad advice from an older bee keeper and it cost me.
I used Apivar (twice) and OAV this last year and all 7 of my hives look good here in MN where it gets cold. If you follow Peter's advice you should have some bees in the spring. Good luck. Treatment is cheaper than buying bees.
I saw the need for frequent treatments grow over time, it demoralized a lot of older beekeepers who had until then managed to keep on top of mites. (my mentor included)
Thanks for all the info Peter! Last year I only used Apivar strips on the fall, my hive died. This year I feel better equipped for more management. Is it okay to use the old honey frames that were treated with Apivar in my new hive?
In your hive yes to consume, no.
Peter, so well stated. I agree, if you treat your mites harshly you have a much greater chance to overwinter. One can buy a lot of treatments for the expense of a nuc or package.
I have been treating in the early spring also, last year with Apivar. This year I have a new Lorab vaporizer and plan to do an OAV in the next few days. We had our first good warm spell last week and I assume the Q would be laying up a little brood. Even though I may not kill thousands of mites, the ones I do will not be able to propagate during the summer. Your thoughts on this idea?
Thanks, keep up the good work!
Great to know! Thanks 😊
No problem!
Thank you for sharing it's very useful/informative I will apply this to my house when I go back home. Thanks for sharing New friend watching stay safe and connected
Thank you too
I did OAV every 3 days for 21 days in summer and fall here in Ohio all my hives are alive no dead hives
OAV is a great addition to the arsenal. I love it but it works even better when there is no brood and be aware there is some evidence that too frequent use my harm queen laying.
Very informative video I have not treated my bees at al for mites. I have 3 hives in east Long island How should i treat them as of today to give them a fighting chance for the winter?
My view would be to use Formic Pro right now if you get 3-4 days below 85F, then when there is no brood in late Oct or more likely Nov for you use Oxalic acid. But best to get local information.
@@BeekeepingwithTheBeeWhisperer Thank you Peter Can I still feed my bees while i am treating them?
After reading studies using Essential Oil blends, I add these as a plant based treatment in the syrup anytime I feed as a defense to mites. ApiGuard is based upon the same technology of bees coming in contact with Thyme oil.. Oxilic Acid is cheap to use, its also a PITA and dangerous around angry bees.. I bought some Formic Pro but its to hot to use until late summer, I was afraid to use it earlier because of rearing queens in small splits affecting her from laying.. People going natural and opposed to any treatment are making a huge mistake in my opinion.
Yes, treatment free is almost asking to be bee free, sometimes treatments are necassary. Careful with essential oils they can be tricky too.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
I had a hive supersede two weeks ago. Upon examination of the hive, I found high Black Hive Bettle counts. I also found a number of emerging brood dying while attempting to emerge from their cells. Is there a connection between these two factors? I also wonder if I should melt down the old comb and start over with new foundation, or is freezing the frames for forty-eight hours enough to ensure safe use for a later time? Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.
Many factors influence supersedure but I could not say if SHB does. From my understanding freezing would do the trick but here in Maine SHB are rare so I would defer to those with more local experience!
Thanks for your prompt reply. I find your channel very helpful.
Informational
Ha Peter good video, I treat a lot as well I live in Virginia, I treat in june asap when I pull the suppers I treat with formic pro, I treat in july with apivar it is to hot to use formic pro also because I do not want my queen to shut down, I take it out in sept and treat again with oav several times in sept oct treat oav several weeks as well i have brood in my hives into December so I just continue to treat with oav every month into jan. then the cluster is to tight to cold to do an good. when spring comes they come out strong and start treating again with oav when weather breaks,. I still lose some any way. but enough said thanks for the video u did a good job with it, hope people listen have a great day.
A lot of work....nice to get a winter break!
I know expense can be a problem for many, and their is cost involved with mite treatment. However, one thought that kept recurring while watching this video is: why not treat once a season? Most of the treatment methods don't seem to harm the hive, if done correctly. We give our dogs tick and heartworm medicine each month without testing them prior (except for their yearly exams.) Barring any harmful effects of seasonal treatment of mites, wouldn't it be best to approach the situation with a prevention mindset instead of waiting for the load to reach over 3 percent?
Indeed. There are of course arguments to the contrary but I have found that prevention with a variety of treatments gives far better results.
I'm getting 2 packages 4-24 21 I was planning on taking the queen out of the package and doing a oav treatment then putting the queen back when I install the package
Or could I just put a Apivar strip in when I install the package
Thanks I'm a new bee keeper
Both should work. I am not sure of any published material about the probability of mite treatments increasing new queen rejection but it is possible. Before doing a treatment test the bees to see if they need it.
Where did you get the mite picture?
I was given them
It sounds like you treat almost once a month. Do I hear that correctly?
I would say it works out like 6 week intervals from July to late Oct. But sampling should dictate the frequency.
How often are you sampling?
Monthly sampling from April to Oct.
can you treat early or late spring?
Certainly, The time table I suggest is just when my samples tell me I usually need to treat. (But I split virtually all my hives in the Spring. (small brood gap)
Treat in Spring when Samples tell you your levels are getting high...and high in Spring would be sat 4/300 bees.