Screened landing pad

[clintonbemrose]

This spring I installed a screen landing pad in front of 2 hives trying to see if many mites droped off bees when they landed. I used a number 8 mesh screen sticking out 4 inches from the hives. I found that using a sticky board under it I traped many mites and a lot of pollon with them. The 2 hives that I did this to were only about 2/3 as strong in bees as the control hive. (probably due to lack of pollon)
All my hives are fogged weekly with FGMO and have cords changed every month.
I'll be gone for at least 1 week moving hives
south for pollonation contracts so will check back later

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[Juandefuca]

Hi Clinton
What you describe is for me still a question without definite answers .
What you describe assumes that varroa sit on the foragers leaving the hive to gather food . That would explain the presense on the return trip . It also would assume a very stong presence of mite infestation of the colony .
In this viewpoint I do not consider absconding infested bees asking for permission to join the colony .
I am at odds with the notion that mites
take trips with he foragers and return as I said before .
I also have in some construction details the screen exceeding the entry area . Beneath is ,or not, a checking feature , like white plastic extending into the and under the SBB.
What you describe I have never seen . My fogging is done at random intervals ( Question of time ) but never more than 2 weeks . Mostly one week .
Reseach tells us ( Simon Frazer) that infrared , brood and nursebees are stronger attractants than foragers to mites. Here again let us consider the population numbers of mites within the colony.
What I have definitely observed was the exit of varroa from the entry onto the landing board . At that time the landing was about 8 inches extending the hive . From there they dropped into vessel on the ground .they died there within a short period . Also at that time there was no sbb used , which came 5 years after this incident.
At that time not only was the mite infestation massive but also was the colony infested with AFB , unbeknownst to me at the time . best regards
JDF

[clintonbemrose]

My hives show a very few mites using sticky boards for 24 hours and few using the eather roll or the sugar roll. What I think is happening this fall is that my bees are robbing someone elses hives and picking up the mites as they seem to be increasing in number weekly.
Clint


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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan