Sugar shake for varroa mites

Sugar shake is fine if it's needed. First need to take a mite count by putting a cup full of bees from the brood area in a qt jar with some powdered sugar and a wire mesh top. Shake them around good to get them coated and then shake the sugar out onto a paper plate. Spray the sugar with water to melt it and see what's left. If needed make a screen board the size of your hive. Remove top, inner cover & all supers. put screen on hive and spread app 1 cup of powdered sugar per deep on the screen. Use a bee brush, new paint brush or even some grass to work sugar evenly through screen. Repeat for each brood box. 2 notes here; DO NOT shake while supers are on. DO NOT use store bought powdered sugar unless it is free of corn starch, make your own by adding regular sugar, about 1 cup at a time, to your blender. Pulse on LOW until sugar is powdered.

Check youtube for how to videos. Hope this helps

I do powdered sugar dusting all the time w/ store-bought powdered sugar. Not a problem as the bees are not feeding on it. They can't get it out of the hive fast enough.

You could use a flour sifter. Brush it off the top of the frames into the spaces between. Just need to do the brood areas.

Wayne

waynesgarden said:

I do powdered sugar dusting all the time w/ store-bought powdered sugar. Not a problem as the bees are not feeding on it. They can't get it out of the hive fast enough.

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This is my experience as well.

Rusty