Treatment Free Mite Treatments

[TWall]

Here is the scenario: Over wintered hive with a hybrid Russian queen. Came through winter strong. Thursday I did a sugar roll and got 4 mites. I have also noticed some bees with distorted wings being removed from the hive.

Is this a high mite count for so early in the spring?

What treatment free treatments are option?

Remove queen to break brood cycle?

Make multiple splits and remove and remove any queen cells made and re-queen 10-14 days later?

I'm probably just going to monitor at this point and see what happens.

Tom

[Solomon Parker]

What treatment free treatments are option?

I'm sorry, what?

Remove queen to break brood cycle?
Make multiple splits and remove and remove any queen cells made and re-queen 10-14 days later?
I'm probably just going to monitor at this point and see what happens.

If they are strong, let them go and see what happens. Splitting couldn't hurt as well, gives you more hives to work with.

[honeyshack]

Treatment free mite treatments....is an oxymoron. Can not have it both ways.

Sometimes ya just have to do what you have to do to save your hive...if this is your intent. Otherwise let live or die.

If you are going treatment free, and you are seeing dwv, might as well shake them out and clean up the boxes and order a new package.

If this is not what you want to do, post in the disease and pest forum for advice

[KQ6AR]

Treatment free mite treatments,
I disagree, in my opinion removing the queen from the hive, & starting her in a nuc is a treatment free option.
I'm not treatment free so I would use powdered sugar a three times per week after removing the queen.
The only reason I suggest this is because you're hive is in very bad shape, & probably won't make it without some manipulation, & the mildest treatment option.

[Omie]

Treatment free mite treatments,
I disagree, in my opinion removing the queen from the hive, & starting her in a nuc is a treatment free option.

Well since splitting is not considered a 'treatment' under this particular forum's definitions, then it's a treatment free option for reducing mites, but wouldn't be called a 'treatment free treatment'.

It's something I plan to use myself. Taking the old queen out and making a small nuc with her, leaving most of the population in the original hive. Letting the now queenless hive begin to raise their own new queen from eggs will give them enough broodless time to disrupt the mite breeding cycle. If you don't want more hives, you can always re-combine them again later, keeping the queen of your choice, or sell the nuc. This is just one possible approach. It's possible your mite problem is already too severe for that particular hive to be saved no matter what you do- I wouldn't know.

[AramF]

and to add to Omie's comment, add a drone comb into the nucleous so that the old queen fills it out with drone larvae. add it to the original hive and now you are in mite catching business.

I believe the orignal poster meant to say chemical free treatment