deformed wings

[Tia]

Must I add thymol to the treatments? I'm hesitant to do so, but on last inspection all three of my hives had a few--and I stress just a few--bees with deformed wings. The sticky board mite count after 24 hours is low--one had 3, one 5 and the other none. Am I miscounting and the mite levels are higher or does the incidence of bees with deformed wings have nothing to do with the mite count?

[Michael Bush]

>Am I miscounting and the mite levels are higher or does the incidence of bees with deformed wings have nothing to do with the mite count?

This is also the time of year where a lot of worn out bees have frayed wings. Look closely at the bees. A young bee is fuzzy and lighter colored (because of the fuzz) particularly the spot between the wings on a young bee is fuzzy where it's shiny and smooth on an old bee.

If you have old bees with frayed wings, this is normal. Don't worry about it.

If you have YOUNG bees with DEFORMED wings, then maybe you have a Varroa problem.

Have you done a sugar roll? Uncapped some drone brood? Done a 24 hour drop test?

You could try all three and see what you find.

[Tia]

Michael, now that you mention it, these bees aren't fuzzy like young bees (I love how cute the fuzzy ones look), but the wings look deformed rather than frayed. Maybe I just can't tell the difference. Isn't the 24-hr drop test the same thing as a sticky board test? If so, the sticky board mite count after 24 hours was low--one had 3, one 5 and the other none. If we're not getting rain from Jeanne by tomorrow, I'll go in and uncap some drone to see what I find. I have no powdered sugar, but I seem to recall I read somewhere I can make my own from granulated sugar by grinding it further in a coffee grinder. Is that true?

[Michael Bush]

>Michael, now that you mention it, these bees aren't fuzzy like young bees (I love how cute the fuzzy ones look), but the wings look deformed rather than frayed.

My guess is they are old.

>Isn't the 24-hr drop test the same thing as a sticky board test?

Basically, yes.

>If so, the sticky board mite count after 24 hours was low--one had 3, one 5 and the other none.

I wouldn't worry about mites with counts like that.

>If we're not getting rain from Jeanne by tomorrow, I'll go in and uncap some drone to see what I find.

I don't think you'll find much with counts like you have.

>I have no powdered sugar, but I seem to recall I read somewhere I can make my own from granulated sugar by grinding it further in a coffee grinder. Is that true?

Sure. Actually any powdered suger works, but any "fine inert dust" will work. Like flour or corn starch, except bees perfer to eat sugar. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif If you put granulated sugar in a blender or cofee grinder you can turn it to powder. Just remember sugar is very hydrophillic (it likes water) and will absorb water from the air and get sticky, so keep it in a sealed container.

[Oxankle]

Tia;

Never made powdered sugar with a coffee grinder, but a blender works just fine. Beauty part is you get sugar without cornstarch.

Blend a moment at a time. If you heat up the sugar you will have caramel rather than powdered sugar.
Ox

[Dr. Pedro Rodriguez]

Hello folks.
Having a wonderful time inspecting and preparing our bees for winter. The weather here in this part of Spain, Central area, is as beautiful as a picture card. The wonders of Our Lord!
Regarding powder sugar. Best source of powder sugar is confectionary sugar, the stuff that is put on cakes and other sweet delicacies. Look around for a fine bakery and they will have it. Other wise you should be able to obtain it from your local supermarket.
And by the way, do not buy too much of it because it picks up moisture from the environment and it tneds to get solidified, hard that is.
This is the time of the year to add thymol to your formulation if you have not tried it yet. We want to have clean, mite gfree hives going into the witner. Remember, pure thymol is a natural plant extract that will not harm your bees or your honey, if you still have not extracted.
Best regards and God blees all.
Dr. Rodriguez