[Jim Braun]

I live in a small (400) town in mid Missouri, about 120 miles West of St Louis. There is one other fellow in town that had bees until last year. I had a small swarm that moved into honey supers that I was cleaning out on 9/10/19. I treated them twice with OAV near Christmas. They are doing OK (5) frames. I talked to his wife a few weeks ago and she mentioned that he didn't have any hives left. I asked if he was treating with anything for varroa and she said no.

I have a friend who lives 60 miles or so from me who kept bees until 1990 when varroa wiped him out. Since he ran into me a few years ago he decided to keep bees again. I just talked to him this morning and he asked me where he could get packages or nucs. He said he had 20 hives at his house and he lost them all this winter.

I only have 4 colonies at present and I have lost zero over the winters in the last 8 years. I have done oxalic treatments every winter near Christmas. I did lose 8 hives in 1918 in June and July.

It seems to me that there may be a correlation between what I did and what they did. What do you think?

 

[Jim Braun]

Right now I am starting OAV three times every 5 days. Then monthly OAV until August. Then three times every 5 days. The winter OAV proved to be insufficient in 2018.

Where my bees are located 3 miles from my home I've seen at least 3 other beekeepers. So I expect at least drone drift if not robbing.

 

[Jim Braun]

Good point crofter, maybe I'll move 4 times to give me 20 days.

Yeah my viral load must have been high in 2018. So far I was at 0 or 1 last fall and I'll test at the end of my 20 days.

Up until now I've used double screen boards for splits. This year I plan on moving the queen into a nuc and having the remaining 5 frames of bees start my queen cells. I'll do that near the 1st of April which is our first swarm date here in mid-Missouri. I'll see how many nucs that gives me before I try my hand at queen rearing.