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ocba - Re: [ocba] Sugar shake

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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Walter Starks <walterstarks AT icloud.com>
  • To: Lori Kroothoep <zoeteke AT me.com>
  • Cc: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Sugar shake
  • Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:13:22 -0400

Looks like mites to me. About 20 by my count. If this is for a 300 bee sample, that would be about 7%. Well above the treatment threshold for this time of year. I'm seeing roughly the same levels in a couple of hives John Rintoul and I are managing for OCBA. Very warm winter and not much of a brood break. Lots of other people are reporting the same thing.

As far as the sugar shake, have you tried shaking the bees into a plastic foot-tub or something similar. The bees will be in a big mound that you can scoop out with a measuring cup or just pour them into your sugar shake jar. Works well for Cathy and I. Never been able to just scoop them off the frame the way Don does. Just an idea.

______

Walter


You never can tell with bees. ~ Winnie-the-Pooh

On Apr 4, 2016, at 1:48 PM, Lori Kroothoep <zoeteke AT me.com> wrote:

I'm hoping some of you can relate to this. Remember that first time you tried to do your a sugar shake alone without anybody else there... after only watching it one time?

Well it reminds me of learning to play golf. The first time you swing the club you miss the ball completely, too high. The next time you swing the club you Divet the grass and missed the ball completely, but do a lot of damage, too low. The third time swing the club, you swing with more force (thinking that will help) hit the ball just a little bit, enough to make it whiz through the grass, going only 5 feet so you take one more swing. The ball whizzes 10 or 20 feet in front of you on the grass and then you give up and decide to try another day.

Yep that was my morning! Feeling lucky I got out without any stings. Feeling certain I sacrificed way more bees than was necessary. Also feeling pretty sure that the amount of bees I did get are not but a third of what we would like to have, I think.

So I am wondering how long I should wait before I stick my nose in there again? Any chance they will remember my smell (not likely, but I feel bad)?

Is it possible these are something other than mites? Seems like an awful lot for so few bees in the shaker.

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Regretfully,
Lori



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