I would do a sugar shake (powdered sugar in a jar with about a cup [300] of bees) and base my decision on the resulting mite count. I do not treat blindly. There has to be a reason.
JMO
Rusty
JMO
Rusty
DO I need to treat first year package bees for mites?
I assume the answer is no because they have not had enough time to establish themselves?
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You might as well if you believe that all hives have mites.
being new does not prevent them from becoming loaded down with mites or SHB.
as said, do a count, get the numbers and treat if needed.
as said, do a count, get the numbers and treat if needed.
I had high mite levels in the Fall last year, my first year of beekeeping. I started from packages. Remember that the bees didn't pop out of nowhere, they likely came with mites on board.
I check my new hives every three weeks for mites. Knowledge gives one a chance to decide the next step, but not knowing is like trying to walk a wooded path in the dark...it might be fine, but you might find yourself in trouble pretty fast.
Your bees could have been clean, but if they did any robbing of someone else's hives, they could have brought home a few mites.
Your bees could have been clean, but if they did any robbing of someone else's hives, they could have brought home a few mites.
>... if you believe that all hives have mites.
It is a safe assumption that all hives in North America do have mites. Choosing to treat is another matter and the answer is not that simple. Some of it depend on if you are doing anything else for mites (natural comb, resistant bees etc.)
bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcellsize.htm
what your philosophy of beekeeping is
bushfarms.com/beesphilosophy.htm
and what your mite load is
honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cfans_asset_317466.pdf
and what you want to do if it's high.
It is a safe assumption that all hives in North America do have mites. Choosing to treat is another matter and the answer is not that simple. Some of it depend on if you are doing anything else for mites (natural comb, resistant bees etc.)
bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcellsize.htm
what your philosophy of beekeeping is
bushfarms.com/beesphilosophy.htm
and what your mite load is
honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cfans_asset_317466.pdf
and what you want to do if it's high.
You assume incorrectly, you need to TEST!I assume the answer is no because they have not had enough time to establish themselves?
HA....not so...I started my colonies from NUCS. and I saw a few VD, aftr just 2 weeks...not many , and since i had never seen any before, it was eye opening. I do a mite drop every few weeks, but it takes 72 hours. I have had low mite counts but last week I counted the average at 9 for one of the hives and then noticed I had scraped away the middle while pulling it out of the hive.....so my count could be critically highger....I am going to do another tommorow but had to post a questions and saw this post and thought I had to give back and comment.....Monitor & treat as needed especially at this time of the year...
I assume the answer is no because they have not had enough time to establish themselves?
Borrowing this thread for my question:
We just did a mite count today on our 1st year hive. We cleaned off the bottom board, waited three days and pulled it out. Went over it with a magnifying glass, plucked mites onto a tissue and counted. We had 70 mites. Edit: By contrast, our top bar hive, after 72 hours, had 30 mites drop.
Should we:
1) Medicate, then do another count post-treatment? If medicate, what's the best choice for very hot weather? Our summers have been in the high-90s to 100s lately and don't seem likely to drop much through August. The hives get a lot of sun. The TBH is more shaded than the Lang.
2) Do not medicate, do another count in a few weeks?
We just did a mite count today on our 1st year hive. We cleaned off the bottom board, waited three days and pulled it out. Went over it with a magnifying glass, plucked mites onto a tissue and counted. We had 70 mites. Edit: By contrast, our top bar hive, after 72 hours, had 30 mites drop.
Should we:
1) Medicate, then do another count post-treatment? If medicate, what's the best choice for very hot weather? Our summers have been in the high-90s to 100s lately and don't seem likely to drop much through August. The hives get a lot of sun. The TBH is more shaded than the Lang.
2) Do not medicate, do another count in a few weeks?
All my packages started this year have mite counts high enough to treat.
Do not assume packages have low mite counts.
Do not assume packages have low mite counts.
70?
I am not an expert by any far stretch but the math is I think number of mites/hours sampled times 24=ave mites per day.....70/72*24=23
somewhere I saw 15-30 you want to think about treating. >30 is critical...
someone please verify.
BTW, I had been leaving my IPM board in all the time at first but it seemed way to hot for them and I also got a screened inner cover to elp ventilate.....
I am not an expert by any far stretch but the math is I think number of mites/hours sampled times 24=ave mites per day.....70/72*24=23
somewhere I saw 15-30 you want to think about treating. >30 is critical...
someone please verify.
BTW, I had been leaving my IPM board in all the time at first but it seemed way to hot for them and I also got a screened inner cover to elp ventilate.....
Borrowing this thread for my question:
We just did a mite count today on our 1st year hive. We cleaned off the bottom board, waited three days and pulled it out. Went over it with a magnifying glass, plucked mites onto a tissue and counted. We had 70 mites.
My understanding is that the count is on the low site. Should we:
1) Medicate, then do another count post-treatment?
2) Do not medicate, do another count in a few weeks?
The number of mites that signal a need for treatment differs from state to state. Here the recommended treatment numbers are an average of 50 to 150 per 24 hours. Check with your state apiary section to find out the number for your area.
The mite load a colony can carry varies from colony to colony. I have colonies that have an average of 30 to 50 and show no damage, and I have a few colonies that are carrying 120+ and show no damage. If you have only a few colonies and can't afford losses, I would suggest treating. As you gain colonies and experience you can determine what the numbers are for your particular apiary and line of bees.
The mite load a colony can carry varies from colony to colony. I have colonies that have an average of 30 to 50 and show no damage, and I have a few colonies that are carrying 120+ and show no damage. If you have only a few colonies and can't afford losses, I would suggest treating. As you gain colonies and experience you can determine what the numbers are for your particular apiary and line of bees.
It's not necessarily the mites but the virus they vector. I have come to believe that in my area virus issues are significant and I treat each fall no matter the mite count. I treat in the spring depending on counts. I do not trust natural drops and base my treatments on alcohol washes which I believe are much more accurate as long as the bees come from the brood area, preferably open brood.
The answer is, you should at least learn to test for mites you're first year.
& decide if you're going to treat, & what methods of treatment you're comfortable using on you're food.
& decide if you're going to treat, & what methods of treatment you're comfortable using on you're food.
This artilcle is 5 years old: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-103/444-103.html
The number of mites that signal a need for treatment differs from state to state. Here the recommended treatment numbers are an average of 50 to 150 per 24 hours. Check with your state apiary section to find out the number for your area.
The mite load a colony can carry varies from colony to colony. I have colonies that have an average of 30 to 50 and show no damage, and I have a few colonies that are carrying 120+ and show no damage. If you have only a few colonies and can't afford losses, I would suggest treating. As you gain colonies and experience you can determine what the numbers are for your particular apiary and line of bees.
Whatever you see from a mite drop, you can add 3x that amount to your number from those still in the brood!
i Did a mite drop and counted 44 mites in 67 hours.....this particular hive to me is distressed and the temps are around 90 so I can't treat.....I think I will loose my hive. activity has changed in the last week....
If I treat and the temp is 90 for another day will this be too hard on them???
i feel time is running out
If I treat and the temp is 90 for another day will this be too hard on them???
i feel time is running out
Whatever you see from a mite drop, you can add 3x that amount to your number from those still in the brood!
So use OA vapor or amitraz if you want to save the hive. Treatment needs to be ASAP so the bees can raise healthy winter bees.
I've used a half dose of Apiguard at higher temps for a quick knockdown. It might buy some time.
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