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As a beekeeper, this is my bees’ #1 enemy. Understanding Verroa mites better means better protection for our bees.

by yawz 8y ago

lostlogin 8y ago
You might already be onto it, but if not, have a look for Randy Oliver and Oxalic acid [1]. Or, more locally for me, this mega thread [2] on homemade treatment strips. They work, they are cheap and so far there is no resistance. [1]http://scientificbeekeeping.com http://scientificbeekeeping.com [2]https://www.nzbees.net/forums/topic/10061-oxalic-and-glycerine/?page=103 https://www.nzbees.net/forums/topic/10061-oxalic-and-glyceri...
- helij 8y ago
  If you are an amateur beekeeper and not concerned about the amount of honey you produce there is another way to get rid of Varroa. Just let colonies swarm naturally! Because the old queen goes with the swarm and new one doesn't lay eggs for a few days Varroa mites don't have anywhere to breed. That way their population crashes to manageable levels and colonies survive the winter without dying off. And yes, I did control Varroa this way for years. Obviously this doesn't work on a commercial scale due to colonies swarming just when it's time for them to be productive ;)
  - crdrost 8y ago
    Now that is an interesting story that I have not seen anywhere. So if I'm understanding you right, this danger to bees is a sort of hack where our business-needs (namely being able to control what we pollinate and when) cause us to tend these colonies in a way that removes a security precaution (the honey bees "cleaning house" regularly) and these mites happen to be in a great position to shamelessly exploit that precaution and grow beyond bound?
    - jly 8y ago
      You are correct in that the ways we commercially keep bees (our 'business needs') override the mechanisms honeybees evolved for defense against disease. Swarming is just one of many natural behaviors that enhances the bees' ability to survive. This paper from a prominent bee researcher highlights 20 significant differences between how honeybees evolved to live and how we keep them today, all of which reduce the 'exquisite fit' with their environment: https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/darwinian-beekeeping https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/darwinian-beekeeping
    - lostlogin 8y ago
      Swarming cleans house, sort of. They swarm to similar spots or old empty and potentially diseased ones. If you want to find a swarm, so where you last found one. Bees love going into old comb and it’s not a good habit.
  - kaikai 8y ago
    If you're an amateur beekeeper chances are high you're in a populated area, and it's irresponsible to let your hives swarm repeatedly. I'm also not convinced this works; hives generally swarm in the spring, and most beekeepers also do a round of treatment in the fall to knock down levels for the winter. Harvesting drone brood is a common way to achieve the same thing you're trying to do, and can be done any time of year.
    - lostlogin 8y ago
      I’m not sure why this is so down voted as it is accurate. Treatment is in spring and autumn and for some, all winter. It’s basically whenever there isn’t honey onboard and sometimes when there is. Swarming radically reduces honey production (swarm versus non swarm honey production is about 10kgs versus 80kgs for me this year, YMMV). Swarming is not good management, results in exterminators being called and irritates people. It’s also destructive of property depending on where they go. And what if you don’t catch them? It’s good that the new colony has less varroa, but if it’s not yours anymore it doesn’t really achieve anything.
souprock 8y ago
The mites are quite visible. I think a computer vision system could wipe them out. As bees leave or enter the hive, they pass by a camera. The computer determines their fate. Infected bees get sucked up, zapped with an electric spark, or zapped with a laser. If you want to get fancy, you could aim a laser right at the mite and thus disinfect the bee.

As a beekeeper, this is my bees’ #1 enemy. Understanding Verroa mites better means better protection for our bees.

by yawz 8y ago

As a beekeeper, this is my bees’ #1 enemy. Understanding Verroa mites better means better protection for our bees.

You might already be onto it, but if not, have a look for Randy Oliver and Oxalic acid [1]. Or, more locally for me, this mega thread [2] on homemade treatment strips. They work, they are cheap and so far there is no resistance. [1]http://scientificbeekeeping.com http://scientificbeekeeping.com [2]https://www.nzbees.net/forums/topic/10061-oxalic-and-glycerine/?page=103 https://www.nzbees.net/forums/topic/10061-oxalic-and-glyceri...

helij 8y ago
If you are an amateur beekeeper and not concerned about the amount of honey you produce there is another way to get rid of Varroa. Just let colonies swarm naturally! Because the old queen goes with the swarm and new one doesn't lay eggs for a few days Varroa mites don't have anywhere to breed. That way their population crashes to manageable levels and colonies survive the winter without dying off. And yes, I did control Varroa this way for years. Obviously this doesn't work on a commercial scale due to colonies swarming just when it's time for them to be productive ;)
- crdrost 8y ago
  Now that is an interesting story that I have not seen anywhere. So if I'm understanding you right, this danger to bees is a sort of hack where our business-needs (namely being able to control what we pollinate and when) cause us to tend these colonies in a way that removes a security precaution (the honey bees "cleaning house" regularly) and these mites happen to be in a great position to shamelessly exploit that precaution and grow beyond bound?
  - jly 8y ago
    You are correct in that the ways we commercially keep bees (our 'business needs') override the mechanisms honeybees evolved for defense against disease. Swarming is just one of many natural behaviors that enhances the bees' ability to survive. This paper from a prominent bee researcher highlights 20 significant differences between how honeybees evolved to live and how we keep them today, all of which reduce the 'exquisite fit' with their environment: https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/darwinian-beekeeping https://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/darwinian-beekeeping
  - lostlogin 8y ago
    Swarming cleans house, sort of. They swarm to similar spots or old empty and potentially diseased ones. If you want to find a swarm, so where you last found one. Bees love going into old comb and it’s not a good habit.
- kaikai 8y ago
  If you're an amateur beekeeper chances are high you're in a populated area, and it's irresponsible to let your hives swarm repeatedly. I'm also not convinced this works; hives generally swarm in the spring, and most beekeepers also do a round of treatment in the fall to knock down levels for the winter. Harvesting drone brood is a common way to achieve the same thing you're trying to do, and can be done any time of year.
  - lostlogin 8y ago
    I’m not sure why this is so down voted as it is accurate. Treatment is in spring and autumn and for some, all winter. It’s basically whenever there isn’t honey onboard and sometimes when there is. Swarming radically reduces honey production (swarm versus non swarm honey production is about 10kgs versus 80kgs for me this year, YMMV). Swarming is not good management, results in exterminators being called and irritates people. It’s also destructive of property depending on where they go. And what if you don’t catch them? It’s good that the new colony has less varroa, but if it’s not yours anymore it doesn’t really achieve anything.

souprock 8y ago

The mites are quite visible. I think a computer vision system could wipe them out. As bees leave or enter the hive, they pass by a camera. The computer determines their fate. Infected bees get sucked up, zapped with an electric spark, or zapped with a laser. If you want to get fancy, you could aim a laser right at the mite and thus disinfect the bee.