Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: rgennaro on May 21, 2019, 02:13:01 pm
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hi everybody
I put a screened bottom board a couple of weeks ago and I have found some varroa mites on the sticky board. Not many (I would say the 24hr drop rate is about 2/3), but they are there. Here are a few questions for people more expert than me:
-- I think this is still below the threshold for treatment, right?
-- I plan to do powdered sugar treatment. I understand it has to be done weekly for at least 3 weeks to have an effect. My hive has 2 10-frame deep brood boxes, and 1 medium honey super. I understand I shouldn't dust the honey super. How much sugar for the deep boxes? I read both 1/2 cup or 1 cup per box.
-- Has anybody done the rhubarb treatment? Chopping up rhubarb leaves and putting them in the hive for natural oxalic acid release? How much rhubard? How often?
-- Finally, I have a package of Hopguard II treatments that I bought last year but ended up not using (I did not treat the hive last year at all, under the advice of the local honey producer who sold me my bees). I stored it in the barn so it went through sub-freezing temperatures. It is still sealed. Is it still effective?
Thanks
R
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The experts at University of Florida say to bee effective, sugar treatments need to bee done every 4 days for about 4 weeks. Dust 1/2 cup over the top of the brood frames. Do not tear the hives apart. This is too much interference if you are taking the frames out. They do not consider this a reliable treatment.
Jim Altmiller
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I have dusted bees with no brood to harbor varroa mites, and I find that only 10 to 15 percent of the mites on the adults bees are removed with each dusting. I would use the HopGuard strips and follow up with an alcohol wash to check if it did kill the mites. Always check the package for storage instructions, in the barn is not always good.
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Interesting short time of beekeeping, studying, reading, videos, keeping up with what newer beekeepers have experienced. I have come to the conclusion that the sugar shake is next to worthless. May sound politically incorrect but it?s my conclusion.
Phillip
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... I have come to the conclusion that the sugar shake is next to worthless. ...
Phillip
My studies led to the same conclusion Phillip.
Alan
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Using it along with a frame of drone larvae to clean up a swarm or a shaken swarm worked. It is a lot of work, but if you are only talking about 2 or 4 colonies it's not bad. Mainly, the absolutely no chemicals beekeeper are the ones using it.
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I'm trying sugar dusting again this year, but I'm not sure how it'll work out. I'm trying to use it as a preventative sort of treatment, so I'm sugar dusting the hives every other week, essentially regardless of mite counts. If it doesn't go well, I'll treat in the fall.
-- Has anybody done the rhubarb treatment? Chopping up rhubarb leaves and putting them in the hive for natural oxalic acid release? How much rhubard? How often?
I've never heard of this before but it's really interesting to me. My family is trying to be as self-sustaining as possible, and rhubarb would be something that we could grow, as opposed to the powered sugar, or really any other treatment, which we have to buy.
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I have heard of it. I do not know anyone who has ever tried it.
Jim Altmiller