Mites and ?????

**beemilk** · 01-20-2013, 05:48 AM

Pulled the sticky board yesterday and found a number of mites present. However, there was also a large amount of "micro-rasins" present of unknown origin. Very unlikey they are from a mouse because they are just about the same size as the mites. I sure would appreciate it if someone could identify their source...... scat? frass? Photo included

Picture 054.jpg

**psfred** · 01-20-2013, 07:22 AM

The crumbs are wax from the bees uncapping things, the other stuff may be wax moth droppings, age unknown.

Peter

**Acebird** · 01-20-2013, 07:29 AM

Dead larvae?

**Honey-4-All** · 01-20-2013, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by beemilk

Pulled the sticky board yesterday and found a number of mites present. However, there was also a large amount of "micro-rasins" present of unknown origin. Very unlikey they are from a mouse because they are just about the same size as the mites. I sure would appreciate it if someone could identify their source...... scat? frass? Photo included

Picture 054.jpg

The items between the mites look like two different items. The crumbles are either pieces of pollen or pollen supplement. The long thin bars are WMS. aka WAX MOTH SHI?

Unless you scrapped these all together for the wonderfully taken photo shoot your hive has what the bee psychologist term "issues" considering the concentration.

**beemilk** · 01-20-2013, 10:55 AM

The items in the photo were scraped together for the photo in order to provide perspective. I agree, the photo has three "things" in it....mites, wax cappings (probably) but I am not sure about the WMS. Here in upstate New York I would suspect wax moths (both adults and larvae) are not very active this time of the year. I treated the hive with oxalic acid during a recent warm spell which resulted in the deposition of the mites AND this mystery substance. Unfortunately the weather is turning very cold again which precludes me from opening the hive for a better inspection. Hopefully I will get a better chance in the near future to do a more extensive investigation.

**Acebird** · 01-22-2013, 03:34 PM

You believe the oxalic acid did not kill any bee larvae?

**wildbranch2007** · 01-23-2013, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by Acebird

You believe the oxalic acid did not kill any bee larvae?

go out in your hives and let me know how much bee larvae you see in the middle of January.

**Acebird** · 01-23-2013, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by wildbranch2007

go out in your hives and let me know how much bee larvae you see in the middle of January.

There may not be any but I am led to believe their could be. Is a treatment of Oxalic acid in the middle of January even effective?

**Mike Gillmore** · 01-23-2013, 03:01 PM

Ace,
Read Randy's articles on the subject. Well written, and should answer your questions.
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxal...-1-of-2-parts/
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxal...-2-of-2-parts/

**Honey-4-All** · 01-23-2013, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by Acebird

There may not be any but I am led to believe their could be. Is a treatment of Oxalic acid in the middle of January even effective?

If not now................ when?

Mid January. About as optimal as any date could be?

If the bees are still alive and the mite load is not so heavy it should have been done previously................ regarding the broodlessness issue you couldn't ask for a far superior date?

**JRG13** · 01-23-2013, 03:06 PM

Oxalic is effective w/o brood, probably about as good as you can get. I agree, looks like Frass to me, maybe from small larvae that were removed by the bees before being noticed.

**Vance G** · 01-23-2013, 03:09 PM

//

**Honey-4-All** · 01-23-2013, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by JRG13

Oxalic is effective w/o brood.

The true answer is that it is most effective, when using a single application, one should do so when no brood is present.

As there is NO published data available on the effects on bees, brood or the hive in general when multiple applications are made.

I decided to do a test using the dribbling method on colonies with weekly application of OA. Did so last fall.

multiple hives. Multiple applications. Mite counts on sticky boards every day for over a month.... Besides that it kills mites nicely with a precipitous drop and nearly clean after 3 weeks during full brood season other data to be verified with replication next summer.