[Janice Lane]

Not sure my first message went out so here it is again. I just started monitoring my hives with screened bottom boards this year. I counted 10 in 3 days on the insert. A Varroa calculator I found online said I need to treat as soon as possible. Is this correct or is the calculator just sensitive. I live in upper South Carolina and treated with ApiLife VAR this past fall

Thanks!

 

[Michael Bush]

10 in 3 days? Thats 3 a day? I would not treat at all. Certainly not "as soon as possible".

 

[clintonbemrose]

I agree with Michael. When I check it is for 24 hours and I start to wory at 40.
Clint

 

[Sourwood]

That's not bad. I would'nt treat at all.

 

[beemandan]

>When I check it is for 24 hours and I start to wory at 40<
During peak season those numbers will be higher. In the middle of winter they are typically much lower. 40 during February in Spartanburg would likely be serious trouble. On the other hand 3 should be OK. I wouldn't treat either.

[ February 09, 2006, 05:02 AM: Message edited by: beemandan ]

 

[George Fergusson]

You'll want to keep an eye on them as spring approaches. With limited brood rearing going on during the winter, drop counts are typically low for any given mite population. When the bees start brooding up in earnest, you'll see more mites drop. Be prepared

 

[Dave W]

Janice Lane . . .

My Jan and Feb counts are running lower than 3 mites/day. Last summer/fall they were as high as 200+. Cant say for sure, but YOUR 3/day NOW may mean lots of troubles this summer. (sorry about the "good news"

)

You can see my counts at:
http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000642

 

[Janice Lane]

What do you guys think about drone brood removal as a way of controling mites.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[Dave W]

Dont think DBR will "control" mites, It may "reduce" mites and along w/ some other treatment you MAY be able to CONTROL.

 

[sqkcrk]

Plenty of people think that screened bottom boards control mites.

I would think that drone brood removal, as part of an Integrated Pest Managment strategy would be a good thing. And you don't need to freeze combs and have extra combs to replace the ones in the freezer. Just carry a long knife with you and cut off the heads of the drones and tap the frame against something solid to knock out the drone larvae and the mites, on to the ground.

Try it, you'll like it. I gar on tee.

 

[George Fergusson]

I think drone comb trapping is under-utilized, under-rated, and all too often, not done right. If you don't get it out in time, you're just breeding mites. If you don't do it when your hive is broodless, the effectiveness is diminished, but not eliminated.

I intend to use it extensively this coming season and I'm anticipating/hoping I'll not have to use any other treatments. It all looks good on paper of course. Time will tell. There's a few other threads going here about drone comb trapping Janice:

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000629

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000617

 

[Michael Bush]

>Plenty of people think that screened bottom boards control mites.

Plenty of people do. I think they are HELPFUL. But if you are depending on them to control mites, or even make a significant difference by themselves, I think you have problems.

 

[sqkcrk]

Right, you shouldn't rely on one thing for your mite control.

 

[Janice Lane]

Thanks for the info everyone. Think my management plan will be SC bees, SBB, broodless DBR like George suggested, and oxalic acid or ApiLife VAR when necessary. Things have changed alot since my break in beekeeping...I am having to play catchup kinda like I had to do with computers!

Thanks again,
Janice