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  • From: Mike Johnson <mm AT reddrum.com>
  • To: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: Orange County Beekeepers <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Yikes!
  • Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 16:23:16 -0500

Despite reading and hearing about varroa since I started bee keeping four years ago I did not fully grasp how serious they are until this past winter when I read The Beekeeper's Lament.  http://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Lament-Billion-Honey-America/dp/006187325X/

Now, I get it.  I guess better late than never...

One reason I have not treated is due to ignorance of the treatments and the affect (safety) of the honey.  While my primary goal for bee keeping is to watch and enjoy the bees I do take some honey out.  With an average of three hives I have taken a total of 3 quarts over 4 years.

Last year I left all of the honey in all of my hives - they were stuffed last fall.  I have not been in them yet this spring, but I assume there is honey left.  I planned to take some honey out before the flow started this year if there was plenty stored.

If I treat now do I need to take any honey out that I intend to remove prior to treatment?

Thank you for your help!

mike

ps:  If there are others out there, like me, that do not understand how serious varroa mites are read the book above.  It definitely raises awareness to the point of near panic!

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March 12, 2016 at 10:02 AM
I mentioned a while ago that our mild, short winter should create problems with varroa mites this spring since queens have been laying straight through, raising both brood and varroa. I'm sorry to say that's what I'm seeing! I did a sugar shake on a friend's hive last week and found 9 mites in the 300 bee sample; I finally got around to testing my own hives yesterday and the very first one had 5 mites in the sample. That's WAY too many for this time of year in our area. Normally I find no or perhaps one mite in a March sample, two at the most. Left unchecked, the number will multiply many times by the time the main honey flow is over.

The scary thing is that I successfully treated last fall (late August) with ApiGuard and my hives were SQUEAKY CLEAN after treatment (mite levels too low to detect). But a quick check of the calendar shows that was more than 6 months ago... 6 months of uninterrupted brood/varroa rearing.

The good news is that we still have PLENTY of time to treat with MiteAway Quick Strips (formic acid) before the main nectar flow starts and honey supers go on. The treatment cycle only lasts 7 days, so even if the tulip poplar is very early and starts April 1st, that still gives us time.

MAQS is on the USDA Organic Approved list and also the CNG Approved list. This is a great time to treat with MAQS because of the relatively cool temperatures. We are in a rare "sweet spot" for MAQS timing. And MAQS has improved -- the strips (more like pads) are now in a paper envelope rather than just being wrapped in a strip of paper. And they are thinner than they used to be, fitting easily on the top bars without needing a spacer. As always, FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. Also look at miteaway.com for their FAQS. The treatment costs around $5 per colony, much cheaper than a replacement package. The local bee supply store has it in stock.

Left untreated, colonies with mite numbers I'm seeing will likely collapse in July or August. If they survive the summer, they'll die early in the winter.

For those that don't take care of their colonies, this year we have the chance to use new excuses for our neglect. Mix things up a bit by explaining colony deaths by saying, "My bees went to the Summer Olympics" or "My bees were scared away by Trump/Bernie (pick one)."

Special message for Molly: your mom says you need to check your hives TODAY! See "I Don't See Any Mites" <here> for an easy-peasy way to do it.

Randall Austin
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