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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Just Bee <marty AT justbeenc.com>
  • To: David Eckert <daveckert AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: Thomas Grizzle <griz AT mindspring.com>, NC Beekeepers Orange County <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Mite Treatment
  • Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2013 10:50:58 -0400

Thanks David

I've heard the singles are also for nucs or small colonies as well. I have no idea if that effects the % rate of success but I'm sure the temps do. Seems like a good temp Range this coming week.


I'd only like to point out the non obvious in the single strip on a big hive...or as they put it 70% effective. Sounds "easier" on the bees and I'm completely sure it is, but the main problem is you've just decided to select for 30% of the strongest chemically resistant varroa in that hive!!

Breeding the next generation of super-varroa should be on all our minds. That's why I applaud Toms use of powered sugar in his options. It's not the end all to bee treatment but just one good option and at the right time very effective. I have one colony(caught swarm) that just started Api-guard and I'm freezing a brood frame right now as well. I will be doing mite counts at the end of the month when we harvest and do sits to break the brood cycle I'll PS then and 2 10 day cycles out from there   only then will I evaluate my need for chemical intervention on a hive by hive bases. 

Please consider a multi defense plan...since nothing is 100% that's ok for the bees, we in this new era of beekeeping, have to have our eye on not causing more problems for us and others later. Super-varroa resistant to chemical treatment should give everyone pause before applying a singular NON 100% treatment method.

Good luck Tom ...please do keep us updated. It's way to quite on here.

Marty

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 2, 2013, at 9:59 AM, David Eckert <daveckert AT gmail.com> wrote:

I think what Fred is referring to is what the Mite Away folks are calling the "1/2 dose program".  They say using this approach is 70% effective whereas using 2 strips at once is 95% effective but there are fewer side effects with the 1/2 dose approach.  They've posted a brief pdf synopsis on their site.  http://www.miteaway.com/uploads/1/4/3/7/14371138/knockdown_vs._knockout.pdf.  I haven't tried it myself but if you do, let us know how it goes.

Dave


On Sun, Jun 2, 2013 at 7:25 AM, Fred Fesel <fredfesel AT gmail.com> wrote:
if these are mite away strips, you might just use one per hive. you will get the same bang for the buck with less damage to the bees. thats what i have read but i am not the final word.


On Sat, Jun 1, 2013 at 9:18 PM, Thomas Grizzle <griz AT mindspring.com> wrote:

Hey y’all,

 

Did a sugar shake on my two hives today and found 10 mites in one and 15 in the other.  I’ve been “treating” with powdered sugar periodically up until now, but I think it is time to relieve some stress on my poor bees.  Tomorrow I plan to apply formic acid strips, two per hive per instructions.  Wish me luck!  Looks like the weather will be right, temperature wise, for the next 7 days.

 

Also, added a super on top of an existing super today in one of my hives, and I got to employ a recently learned trick on the other hive.  In the second hive, my cut comb super was full of brood, just about every frame!  I really appreciate that tip from an earlier post on the OCBA listserv where you place a super with just foundation, no comb, in between the honey super and the brood chambers.  Once these bees hatch out in the cut comb area, I suspect the girls will clean them out nicely and just put honey since the queen should not cross the foundation layer. 

 

Tons of honey, very exciting.  Harvested my first sneak preview honey and it was very light in color with an excellent, mild flavor… I suspect wildflower honey.


Tom


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ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/

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