i) Diseases & pests

[Barry]

Different "treatment" paths to consider, pro/con. IPM strategies.

[Docking]

Has anyone used the screened bottom board with a tray filled with veg. oil to controll the SHB and verroa mite?

[snarky]

That is the way I do it;
Get some bees in the oil as the top of the oil tray is not very tight against the bottom of the screened bottom board. (also get ants, yellow jackets and anything the bees drop thru the screen)

The oil gets pretty nasty if I leave it too long between changes. It definitely controls the SHB;

[Big John]

http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/pest&disease/pppdIndex.html

A good site to identify some of the pest and disease that your bees have

[Robert Brenchley]

We don't have SHB here, but if varroa drop a couple of inches or more below the screen, they can't get back and die miserably.

[jpitz31]

U of M Bee Lab offers an on-line course for $25.00 on

Healthy Bees: A Course For Keeping Bees Healthy (and on their own six feet)

I just finished the course and I felt it covered everything very well. They use the philosophy of using chemicals only as a last resort.

Here is the link:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/honeybees/components/healthybeesonline.htm

Thanks

Joe

[terri lynn]

Thanks for that reference, Joe. I've been uncertain about pests and treatments. I want to be as chemical free as possible, and I think that course might be just the thing to give me a well rounded picture.

[jfreeman1944]

deleted

[mike bispham]

Different "treatment" paths to consider, pro/con. IPM strategies.

Hi Barry,

Would here be a good place to talk about the issue of selection for fitness and culling disease-prone stock?

Mike

[Barry]

As long as it stays very basic. This is about getting started in beekeeping and I don't want to get in too deep with some of the more advanced issues.

[honeyman46408]

Docking

I have used a screen bottom board with a pan of mineral oil under a SHB infested (queenless hive) and it cleaned up so I later added a queenright nuc on top and the hive is looking verry good now, after I pull honey I intend to have all my hives on the new SBBs

[treeoflife]

Big John, thank you for sharing that link. It looks like an excellent site.

As far as pests or diseases, I haven't seen a problem in my hive so far (although I'm not so naive as to believe that I don't have a mite or two). So I have no experience to speak of. I did use a screened bottom board for a while, but found no unwanted critters. I am interested in keeping my hive(s) healthy with the least amount of chemicals/interference. A pipe-dream, perhaps? ;)