7 ms·

I live in place where winters are harsh. Colonies need to be well-prepared to successfully overwinter. They are amazingly robust when they are healthy, but anyt

by yawz 6y ago

I live in place where winters are harsh. Colonies need to be well-prepared to successfully overwinter. They are amazingly robust when they are healthy, but anything that affects this preparation can easily be deadly over a period of time. There can be many reasons. The Varroa Mite [0] is one that we have to constantly fight against, these days. The mites don't kill the entire colony, but weakens it so much that the colony can't overwinter. Or there viruses [1] that deform the bees' wings that can debilitate the colony. There are also other problems that we don't see where I live, but other beekeepers have to fight, such as the Small Hive Beetle [2]. I suspect because of the ongoing wildfires and poor air quality in this region, one of my queens stopped laying eggs mid-summer, at a time when she normally lays 1,500-2,000 eggs every day. I had to replace her. I don't know if that colony is going to survive the winter. Some other colonies had similar problems. Yesterday a beekeeper friend told me she lost a colony and she has another one on the brink of collapsing. Then, we also don't know who is using what type of pesticides around here. Bees can forage anywhere in the 2-3 mile radius. It's near impossible for me to know what's going on in such a wide area. It's a constant uphill battle. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varroa_destructor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varroa_destructor [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deformed_wing_virus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deformed_wing_virus [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_hive_beetle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_hive_beetle

roughly 6y ago
Thanks, I appreciate the response. Are things like the beetles and virus new introductions to the area, or is it just a confluence of factors that are hitting harder now? I'd also heard (many years ago) that, while the colonies can collapse, the bees normally reproduce quickly enough that you don't see much of a net loss in colony counts year-over-year - how do you see that? My impression is that the bee populations have been remarkably resilient year over year, but whenever I see this kind of stress-and-recovery cycle, I worry that there's a tipping point - many systems seem Fine under stress until they overwhelm their recovery mechanism and collapse catastrophically.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  Not the OP, but here in New Zealand the issues are greatly exacerbated by hive overstocking, migrant beekeepers (eg a truck brings in 100 hives one day, and the additional extras in those hives are spread to local hives), poor beekeeping, American Foul Brood and a low sale price for honey.
_Microft 6y ago
Have you heard that certain pseudoscorpions might be of help against varroa mites? They seem to hunt them and would need to live in the beekeeping box as I understand. There is a tiny bit of information on them in german Wikipedia [0] (automatic translation [1], let me know if I can help with translation). Wikipedia says that they can be found worldwide, so maybe they will be of help. (Please note that under _no circumstances_ this was meant as encouragement to introduce new invasive species to your area!) Here is more information: the page of the beekeeper researching pseudoscorpions and bee interactions is at [2], [3] is about a book he wrote, called "Instruction manual for species-appropriate husbandry of bees and pseudoscorpions". A comment in [3] also suggests that under ideal circumstances, these pseudoscorpions might be able to deal with a small hive beetle. This poster [4] states that having pseudoscorpions in hives unfortunately had no influence on varroa numbers, though. [0] (german) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCcherskorpion https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCcherskorpion [1] (machine translation de-en): https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=&to=en&dl=de&ref=trb&a=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FB%25C3%25BCcherskorpion https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=&to=en&dl=de&ref=trb&a... [2] (german) https://beenature-project.com/epages/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c-00453bab9a49.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c-00453bab9a49/Categories/Aktuelle_Forschungen1491521048885/B%C3%BCcherskorpionforschung https://beenature-project.com/epages/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c... [3] (german) https://bienen-nachrichten.de/2019/handlungsanleitung-f%C3%BCr-artgerechte-bienenhaltung-mit-pseudoskorpionen/174 https://bienen-nachrichten.de/2019/handlungsanleitung-f%C3%B... [4] (PDF, english) http://apicultureconference2016.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Poster-P-F-vanToor-ChelifersVarroa-v2-copy.pdf http://apicultureconference2016.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/201...
- yawz 6y ago
  This is very interesting. Thanks for the pointer. Much appreciated.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - lostlogin 6y ago
    New Zealander here - a lot of people are using Oxalic acid and glycerine on paper strips and are getting great results here - me included. The paper is a plasterboard jointing paper and 3-5 layers are sewn together and soaked in a solution of about 40% Oxalic acid, 60% glycerine. Used like conventional mite strips they need replacing more often but seem to work really well. Randy Oliver has been trialing other delivery methods in California. My hives are the best they have ever been this season, with a very strong start. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ http://scientificbeekeeping.com/
eneeigriega 6y ago
I don't know much about bees but I just recently started following an Instagram account (@texasbeeworks) that earlier this year posted a video[1] of a bee with a Varroa Mite. The video's caption: "Alright, here is what I want everyone to know about ‘murder hornets’. Only one nest of Asian Giant Hornets has been found in North America and it was quickly eradicated. Right now, the nation’s top entomologists are watching the situation and beekeepers like myself are not worried. If these hornets become a serious problem for honeybees, we will find a solution to keep bees safe. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you really want something to be afraid of and if you want to know what keeps beekeepers awake at night, look closely at the bee in this video. You’ll see a dark, round speck on the side of her body. That, my friends, is something far more terrifying than these so-called ‘murder hornets’—it is a Varroa Mite. (Scroll through to see it up close.) The Varroa Mite is a parasitic mite that feeds on the fat bodies of bees and its decimating bee populations around the world. At this point in time, Varroa Mites are a much greater threat to honeybee populations than Asian Giant Hornets and if they got the same attention in the press, maybe we would have a solution for them. Everyone now knows the term ‘murder hornet’ but the thing we should be talking about In the US is the Varroa Mite, a creature whose scientific name is literally ‘Varroa Destructor’.⁣⁣ ⁣ Please stop the murder hornet hype and please start talking about the thing that’s killing more honeybees in the US than anything else right now—varroa mites." [1] https://www.instagram.com/p/B_03jhvnFt6/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B_03jhvnFt6/
- yawz 6y ago
  Varroa is and has been my #1 problem for a while. I hate it. But I can't agree with this statement: "If these hornets become a serious problem for honeybees, we will find a solution to keep bees safe." It can easy be too late. Look at what's happening in Europe. They simply can't stop the hornets. Of course it's more dramatic to show these huge insects. They are impressive and scary. Mites are small and look insignificant. They are not dramatic. They won't generate hype. I understand the frustration as a beekeeper, but don't let yet another problem become too big to reverse the tide on. It is obviously cheaper to deal with the hornets right now, hype or no hype.
  - cableshaft 6y ago
tchock23 6y ago
Putting in a plug for a startup working on solving the Varroa mite problem by zapping them with lasers - https://www.beecombplex.com/ https://www.beecombplex.com/ Hasn’t officially launched yet, but the early trials are promising. (Disclosure: I have advised the company)

by yawz 6y ago

roughly 6y ago

Thanks, I appreciate the response. Are things like the beetles and virus new introductions to the area, or is it just a confluence of factors that are hitting harder now? I'd also heard (many years ago) that, while the colonies can collapse, the bees normally reproduce quickly enough that you don't see much of a net loss in colony counts year-over-year - how do you see that? My impression is that the bee populations have been remarkably resilient year over year, but whenever I see this kind of stress-and-recovery cycle, I worry that there's a tipping point - many systems seem Fine under stress until they overwhelm their recovery mechanism and collapse catastrophically.

lostlogin 6y ago
Not the OP, but here in New Zealand the issues are greatly exacerbated by hive overstocking, migrant beekeepers (eg a truck brings in 100 hives one day, and the additional extras in those hives are spread to local hives), poor beekeeping, American Foul Brood and a low sale price for honey.

_Microft 6y ago

Have you heard that certain pseudoscorpions might be of help against varroa mites? They seem to hunt them and would need to live in the beekeeping box as I understand. There is a tiny bit of information on them in german Wikipedia [0] (automatic translation [1], let me know if I can help with translation). Wikipedia says that they can be found worldwide, so maybe they will be of help. (Please note that under _no circumstances_ this was meant as encouragement to introduce new invasive species to your area!) Here is more information: the page of the beekeeper researching pseudoscorpions and bee interactions is at [2], [3] is about a book he wrote, called "Instruction manual for species-appropriate husbandry of bees and pseudoscorpions". A comment in [3] also suggests that under ideal circumstances, these pseudoscorpions might be able to deal with a small hive beetle. This poster [4] states that having pseudoscorpions in hives unfortunately had no influence on varroa numbers, though. [0] (german) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCcherskorpion https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCcherskorpion [1] (machine translation de-en): https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=&to=en&dl=de&ref=trb&a=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FB%25C3%25BCcherskorpion https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=&to=en&dl=de&ref=trb&a... [2] (german) https://beenature-project.com/epages/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c-00453bab9a49.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c-00453bab9a49/Categories/Aktuelle_Forschungen1491521048885/B%C3%BCcherskorpionforschung https://beenature-project.com/epages/6aa71639-792d-4a95-9e8c... [3] (german) https://bienen-nachrichten.de/2019/handlungsanleitung-f%C3%BCr-artgerechte-bienenhaltung-mit-pseudoskorpionen/174 https://bienen-nachrichten.de/2019/handlungsanleitung-f%C3%B... [4] (PDF, english) http://apicultureconference2016.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Poster-P-F-vanToor-ChelifersVarroa-v2-copy.pdf http://apicultureconference2016.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/201...

yawz 6y ago
This is very interesting. Thanks for the pointer. Much appreciated.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- lostlogin 6y ago
  New Zealander here - a lot of people are using Oxalic acid and glycerine on paper strips and are getting great results here - me included. The paper is a plasterboard jointing paper and 3-5 layers are sewn together and soaked in a solution of about 40% Oxalic acid, 60% glycerine. Used like conventional mite strips they need replacing more often but seem to work really well. Randy Oliver has been trialing other delivery methods in California. My hives are the best they have ever been this season, with a very strong start. http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ http://scientificbeekeeping.com/

eneeigriega 6y ago

I don't know much about bees but I just recently started following an Instagram account (@texasbeeworks) that earlier this year posted a video[1] of a bee with a Varroa Mite. The video's caption: "Alright, here is what I want everyone to know about ‘murder hornets’. Only one nest of Asian Giant Hornets has been found in North America and it was quickly eradicated. Right now, the nation’s top entomologists are watching the situation and beekeepers like myself are not worried. If these hornets become a serious problem for honeybees, we will find a solution to keep bees safe. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you really want something to be afraid of and if you want to know what keeps beekeepers awake at night, look closely at the bee in this video. You’ll see a dark, round speck on the side of her body. That, my friends, is something far more terrifying than these so-called ‘murder hornets’—it is a Varroa Mite. (Scroll through to see it up close.) The Varroa Mite is a parasitic mite that feeds on the fat bodies of bees and its decimating bee populations around the world. At this point in time, Varroa Mites are a much greater threat to honeybee populations than Asian Giant Hornets and if they got the same attention in the press, maybe we would have a solution for them. Everyone now knows the term ‘murder hornet’ but the thing we should be talking about In the US is the Varroa Mite, a creature whose scientific name is literally ‘Varroa Destructor’.⁣⁣ ⁣ Please stop the murder hornet hype and please start talking about the thing that’s killing more honeybees in the US than anything else right now—varroa mites." [1] https://www.instagram.com/p/B_03jhvnFt6/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B_03jhvnFt6/

yawz 6y ago
Varroa is and has been my #1 problem for a while. I hate it. But I can't agree with this statement: "If these hornets become a serious problem for honeybees, we will find a solution to keep bees safe." It can easy be too late. Look at what's happening in Europe. They simply can't stop the hornets. Of course it's more dramatic to show these huge insects. They are impressive and scary. Mites are small and look insignificant. They are not dramatic. They won't generate hype. I understand the frustration as a beekeeper, but don't let yet another problem become too big to reverse the tide on. It is obviously cheaper to deal with the hornets right now, hype or no hype.
- cableshaft 6y ago

tchock23 6y ago

Putting in a plug for a startup working on solving the Varroa mite problem by zapping them with lasers - https://www.beecombplex.com/ https://www.beecombplex.com/ Hasn’t officially launched yet, but the early trials are promising. (Disclosure: I have advised the company)