Christmas is one of the four quarter days which mark the changing of the seasons.
The four quarter days are:
They all approximately coincide with either an equinox or a solstice.
By now we are all familiar with the mesh floor aka Varroa floor as part of our Integrated Pest Management. There are obvious benefits to these but there are also a few snags and an unexpected flaw: Continue reading Varroa Floor Flaw
The shook swarm can be used in swarm prevention and comb replacement. It can also be used in disease control. It may appear brutal but it works and once they get over the shock the bees seem to appreciate it and go like stink to get back on track. Continue reading Shook Swarm
It is well known that some colonies of bees have traits such as grooming or hygienic behaviour which make them better able to cope with Varroa. Pinpointing such colonies with the aim of selectively breeding from them can be a challenge. There are several different methods and they range from the meticulous to the downright ruthless. Continue reading How to Breed Varroa Resistant Bees
The methods that bees use to cope with Varroa are the subject of much research. The ones we know about fall into two broad categories: Grooming and Hygienic Behaviour… Continue reading Varroa Resistant Bees
Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS) were the beekeepers’ Great White Hope but the results this spring are not great – has something unexpected interfered or were our expectations unrealistic?
The first spring inspections of 2015 have been a bit of a shock. Not that I’ve had many losses – only about 5% – and the cause seems to have been queen failure (Click here for guidance on how to conduct a post mortem). The rest are mainly good and strong heading into the summer.
However there are problems out there… Continue reading MAQStrips – Do they work?
Oxalic acid is a very effective treatment for Varroa but only during broodless periods when the kill rate can be above 90%. When brood is present the kill rate is closer to 30% as most of the Varroa are in the brood where this acid cannot reach them. Click here for more on oxalic acid.
For this reason oxalic acid tends to be used during the mid-winter broodless period – if there is one!
However, winter is not the only time bees are broodless and oxalic acid can also be used during summer broodless periods when the Varroa are phoretic (out and about on the bees).
Imagine a swarm…
It affects Varroa directly and indirectly. Directly – the acid damages their mouthparts. Indirectly – it increases grooming activity between bees and more Varroa are dislodged in the process.
But there’s more… Continue reading Oxalic Acid for Beekeepers
The diseases of honey bee brood are many and varied but they’re all a bit dark and creepy – like Roald Dahl’s child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The two most serious brood diseases are American Foul Brood and European Foul Brood and these strike fear in heart of all beekeepers but we’ll deal with them later.
Here is a table of the less serious brood diseases. Click it for a bigger picture. Continue reading Less Serious Brood Diseases
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Trickle treated 35 hives of bees with oxalic acid for Varroa today at 4 apiary sites. The temperature was 6 degrees, windy and beginning to rain. It took from 1.15pm to 4.15pm including travelling time so it has to be said it is the quicker of the two methods. If we had only the one Varrox Vaporiser it would have taken 10 minute per hive – which is nearly 6 hours and without the travelling time. Continue reading Mid-winter Varroa Treatment – December 2013
