Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Started fogging today.

93K views 204 replies 59 participants last post by  AHudd 
#1 ·
Well i started fogging today never did it before i did all 10 hives in no time[15 min. tops} .
I did a mite count with sticky boards before and after the before was real low in all hives{no more then 5 in 48 hours}but it is only the start of the year here.
The after {3 hours} even lower then before I'm going to do a count in 48 hours and see what they look like then.
I'll bee fogging every 7 to 10 days till fall and i'll let besource know how it goes . I'll give it a year with these 10 hives then we'll know if fogging with FGMO is good for varroa or not .
I did not kill any bees with fogging{and i did them real well } they where calm with in 5 mins. after theywhere fogged.
I'm going to do a alcohol wash with nurse bees as soon things start booming here.
I will update everytime i fog . Hope it works;)
 
#34 ·
I've been following the FGMO threads too, if it works I'll start it next year instead of fumic acid, apivar, etc. Most of those chemicals are nasty.

I don't get the whole prohibited issue myself, I can go to the store and buy a pint of FGMO and guzzle it if I'm having "stuck plumbing" issues, but I can't fog a bee hive with it??

Anyway, if it's working and continues to work (being that varroa likely won't build up a tolerance to no breathing), I'll fog next year too.

Just my ¾¢.
 
#35 ·
@beregondo - thank you for talking me down

Please understand that I recently had to confine bees to their hives in order to avoid an approved organic pesticide (spinosad) used per label. I'm not at all confident that people who use the term organic understand that the USDA has very specific do's and dont's as regards organic. I use nothing in or on my garden - does that make it organic? In terms of what the word used to mean, yes. OK, this year I'm growing potatoes under straw. I suppose that means I am "using" straw... I didn't check to see if the straw was organically produced and GMO free when I got it. And that might (I'm not going to take the time to research it) disqualify me from using the organic label as currently defined by USDA.

But back to Glock. His bees are doing well, and that is a good thing. His usage reports will show if bees do well when fogged with mineral oil regularly in the short term. Maybe he'll continue the reports and we'll get long term data. I understand that FGMO is generally regarded as a safe substance. So was asbestos once upon a time. I got some nucs this year that were treated with Apivar (Amitraz). The bees looked great. Am I running out to buy Apivar to use on the hives I have that I treat? No.
 
#36 ·
It wasn't my intent to be offensive or confrontational.
I sincerely apologize, as it appears I was offensive to you.

I seriously doubt we're going to find any health hazards to using unscented food grade baby (aka mineral) oil to fog hives.

I'm also following his reports with great interest.

To date the only 'treatment' my hives have gotten is the brood break that occurs when I split nucs out of them.

My personal attitude toward USDA's attempts to co opt the term "organic" for the benefit of their primary clients, I should probably not comment on.
(Ok... shouldn't comment on any more than the last sentence did.)

Suffice it to say that in my mind government might regulate how a word is used in marketing but lacks the authority to change its meaning.
 
#37 ·
I am following this thread with great interest.

While some may wonder whether fogging with FGMO is considered "organic" or "treatment free" or safe for human consumption, etc (all important questions if you use FGMO, BTW), I think the more fundamental questions is whether fogging with FGMO works to control mites in the first place.

While I don't doubt that GLOCK's hives are doing great, if I recall correctly he is also doing other things to control mites plus working with just 10 hives and there is no control. I understand that 9 of the 10 hives had a brood break. Consequently, with all the variables that can happen with just a few hives, we don't really know whether it is the FMGO that is keeping the mites under control and allowing his hives to flourish.

Can anyone point to a beek who has used only FGMO to control mites and done so with enough hives so that we can have some confidence that it is indeed the FGMO that is keeping the mites in check? Or that the FGMO does have some activity against mites so that when used in combination with other mite control methods it has enough of a beneficial effect to justify the time and effort?

Just wondering out loud before I go buy a fogger and invest the time to start weekly fogging my dozen hives.
 
#39 ·
Shinbone,

I can point to someone who uses FGMO as well as other things and is a commercial beekeeper. Google "fatbeeman". He is also on youtube and has some videos of FGMO fogging.

As far as justifying what works and what doesn't; well you are the only one that can make that decision for your situation. Certainly anyone elses success or failure can only be anecdotal.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Beregondo - Thanks for the info.

I think it is safe to say that it is well known that thymol helps control mites. Personally, I used Apiguard last Fall and witnessed big mite drops and low mite counts the following Spring.

Does fogging with FGMO add anything to the effects of using thymol on the hives, or is fogging with FGMO and thymol just another delivery method for thymol??
 
#44 ·
Up date= So the only hive {1 out of ten} just fogged and did not do any other IPM I had put a drone frame In the hive the start of JULY and took it out today and did a mite count on that and the count was 10 per hundred cells now I don't know if that high or what but last year I had hives with 150 = aday mite drops on sticky boards and this hive only had 5 in two days? I can see mite pretty easily now days and don't see any on my bees or brood just in that drone frame. I'm not seeing any DWV or sick bees just healthy bees and I made 17 nucs this year and had a great honey crop and my bee's very nice this year so some thing is going right what do ya all think about the mite count?
 
#45 ·
Glock - Thanks for the info - great job !

I started fogging my bees May 17 on a two week schedule. I am fogging 9 hives, two nucs started this spring, and a swarm captured at a neighbor's tree. I am using FGMO with 15 drops of spearmint oil.
July 12, I placed sticky boards with petroleum jelly under 5 hives for 24 hours.
results were 0, 0 , 2, 3 and 50 mites. The hive with fifty mites was my largest hive last year, in a deep and 2 mediums.
I fogged this hive two days later and am now fogging it every week .

Over all, my bees look good -I have not taken off any honey yet -we have had enough rain to keep things blooming, so the bees are still working hard.
Charlie
13 hives zone5
 
#48 ·
Charlie, I assume the hive with 50 had never been fogged, or at least wasn't included in the current fog treatement cycle?
You counted on five hives, I'll be watching for your next treatment and count. I've never fogged, haven't bought the gear yet. But if you get good results on the 50 count hive as well, I'm going to guy a fogger.
Glock, Keep us updated.
Thanks,
Robbin
 
#46 ·
GLOCK - glad to hear that you are happy with how the fogging is working for you. Please continue to keep us posted on your progress.

Cdevier - glad to hear that another fogger has joined the thread. Again, please keep us posted on how it works for you.

I hope you both get great results, so that we have another weapon in the fight against varroa mites.
 
#47 ·
To reply to the post asking is anyone using JUST FGMO as treatement... my answer is yes. My uncle who has been keeping bees for 30 years uses FGMO as his only form of treatment. His results are impressive to say the least.
Keep in mind he used to have 75 hives, all treated with FGMO. He is now down to 6 only because he is 78 and it is all he needs. He used to sell honey and a lot of it when he had 75 hives.
The Government has an "interest" in other forms of chemical treatments, thus it's "definition" as approved organic treatments.
 
#55 · (Edited)
To reply to the post asking is anyone using JUST FGMO as treatement... my answer is yes. My uncle who has been keeping bees for 30 years uses FGMO as his only form of treatment. His results are impressive to say the least.
Did your uncle comment on the frequency of application and any other fine details?


Glock - truly appreciate the information. I know this isn't a study with controls and single variables, but I truly appreciate reading your results.

So basically you are fogging for 20 seconds per hive weekly with pure oil and honey supers are on. You started this practice in the spring and have carried on through since that time?

I like Michael Bush's philosophy about stabilizing the mite population and then regressing to ultimately get off the "juice". From his book I gleaned that he used FGMO for two years to do just that (he used oxalic too if memory serves). I know that next year I currently plan on a similar approach to phase out mites and any treatments if possible (though regression will likely take more time than that). Looks like FGMO might be a great way to do this.
 
#49 ·
Glock - Keep us all updated through the end of the year. Interesting results and something to consider.

On the organic note, while hives might be "contained" or secluded for a period to certify as organic, I would find it hard to believe that a critter that can forage across a 3 mile radius can be really labeled as organic. While the hive you are using might be organic, they sure could be picking up lots of stuff that wouldn't be considered organic.

See it all the time around here. One farm is organic, but the water used to irrigate comes through a ditch through the middle of one of the heaviest users of herbicide and pesticides, just up canal about 300 feet. And that ag cat pilot is good, but don't think he can stop that spray of whatever from moving the 10 feet from edge of field to canal bank. Just based on what I see.

I know it is all tested, but I see some things that make me want to think Hmmmm.

Glock - Keep us posted.
 
#50 ·
Robbin, Yes, the hive with 50 mite count had been fogged 4 times -two to three weeks apart. Why it droped so many mites is a mystery to me. Maybe I did not use enough fog in it.

I gave it an extra midweek fogging , and now will fog each week. I will fog all hives today and do a mite check next week.
Charlie
 
#51 ·
AUG. 4 and all is going great in my beeyards . I was in all my hives today{11 hives and 15 DBL.nucs } and every one is strong and growing.
My mite loads are low I have had the inserts in all my SBBs since are night time temps. have been below 50 and I pulled them out and the most mites I seen on one insert was 7 and the inserts have been in since last sunday . I have no virus in any of my 3 beeyards no DWV crawlers just healthy happy bees.
This year has been a very nice year It looks like i'm going to go into winter with 26 hives . I have 3 nucs right now that have QC that should hatch any day and I have one hive with a virgin that has not started to lay yet but should by next week the rest are laying very well should have great winter bees. .Fogging with FGMO sure has worked with me all bees are healthy and happy even JULY and AUG. they have been nice just pleasurable.
Any one has any questions or would like any pics. feel free to PM me anytime . I know one thing when ya get the mites under control beekeeping get easier and more pleasurable. And ya get a pile of honey I have so much honey I started to give it a way .
I'm going to keep this thread going in to next year so all knows how my hive do going through fall and winter in to spring I will only bee fogging from this point on . One thing to remind every one most of my hive are on 4.9 cell but not all.
Hope every ones bees are doing well.:thumbsup:
 
#58 ·
Glock, I'm pulling for your success against the mites! Losing that many hives has to be a shocker.

I wonder how you feel about the different 'roll' or 'wash' or 'shake' tests. These tests (ether roll, powdered sugar shake, alcohol wash, even soapy water wash) are supposed to be the best tests (read 'most scientific') for estimating mite populations. When you declare success or failure on this venture, the more scientific your data, the more of us will join you in your conclusion, whatever it is. Please understand, I'm not picking a fight here, just a friendly question -I want you to succeed. :)
 
#59 ·
Well I could to a better test like a alcohol wash and I think I will I just have been procrastinating making the shaker and everything look so good and no problems so I have figured why bother . I will do it in the next couple days and I bet it going to be low . give me till sunday.:thumbsup:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top