Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?  (Read 15644 times)

Offline cao

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1679
  • Gender: Male
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #40 on: July 16, 2017, 12:09:50 pm »
Like I said, I might be crazy in the way I think.
If you are,  then I'm right there with you.  :grin:


Offline tycrnp

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 264
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #41 on: July 16, 2017, 04:22:18 pm »
What are your thoughts on grease patties?

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13496
  • Gender: Male
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #42 on: July 16, 2017, 05:09:26 pm »
Has anyone used this?  http://www.beegym.co.uk/

No but you could just a couple of wires from a wax foundation stapled to a board to do the same thing. Be sure it is over a screen bottom board so the mites cannot get back on the bees.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline sc-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2985
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #43 on: July 16, 2017, 09:16:40 pm »
When I fist started just a short over a decade ago... I treated the fist year because in the class I took the extension agency stated to everyone treat, In particular for AFB and Apistan for mites. A couple years later they changed their stance on AFB treatment. I did not treat for about 6 years after that first year. I thought I had a good thing going... about have my hives made honey. Four years ago everything crashed? I have since tried to replace stock in particular with VSH queens/ swarms (I have bought no packages - bought about 4 nucs) and still I did not treat till I used OA vap last year. I am still struggling to pull things back together???

This is my 13th season and by far the worse.  I did not do much mite monitoring over the years because I did not plan to treat, I said why bother. I guess that is a mistake... I thought live and let die. I did check drone brood and never saw a real issue. I have never seen any DWV to speak of or any mite feces in comb etc. So I did look/ monitor I guess I just did not do washes or sugar shakes.

One major issue I have fought has been pesticide kills 3 years in a row before this year. My whole issue could possibly be pesticide related and getting an agency to help check for pesticides, I have found, is next to impossible. I live in strong ag country, peaches, and they are heavily sprayed constantly.  I move my hives Northward out of peaches and I have seen to hit an area of home gardeners and sevin dust.... at least at this time I suspect.

Splits I made with swarm queen cells died off... most mated but queens seemed to dwindle. supercedure or just simply seemed to disappear??? I still have hives fresh off local queens supercedeing as I type this and drones are getting low.  It has been tough... I just added some more VSH queens from the VP line and certified Russians from the Coy's.

I will monitor mites closer and go from there. Time will tell?????

John 3:16

Offline Acebird

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8110
  • Gender: Male
  • Just do it
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #44 on: July 16, 2017, 10:10:23 pm »
One major issue I have fought has been pesticide kills 3 years in a row before this year. My whole issue could possibly be pesticide related and getting an agency to help check for pesticides, I have found, is next to impossible. I live in strong ag country, peaches, and they are heavily sprayed constantly.  I move my hives Northward out of peaches and I have seen to hit an area of home gardeners and sevin dust.... at least at this time I suspect.


So what makes you think your problem is varroa?
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline sc-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2985
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #45 on: July 17, 2017, 09:44:56 pm »
One major issue I have fought has been pesticide kills 3 years in a row before this year. My whole issue could possibly be pesticide related and getting an agency to help check for pesticides, I have found, is next to impossible. I live in strong ag country, peaches, and they are heavily sprayed constantly.  I move my hives Northward out of peaches and I have seen to hit an area of home gardeners and sevin dust.... at least at this time I suspect.


So what makes you think your problem is varroa?

Exactly my point.... I will be looking closer again....will start doing some rolls or shakes...
John 3:16

Offline little john

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1537
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #46 on: July 27, 2017, 07:40:46 am »
Interesting how we've got ourselves into a 'treat or not-treat' binary way of thinking, as there's never been that much emphasis placed on the prevention of Varroa infestation ...
 
The main vectors for the spread of the Varroa mite are drifting and robbing - and both of these could be reduced by taking appropriate measures which, whilst not perhaps completely preventing the spread of infestation, it might at least reduce the numbers of mites introduced to each colony.

LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com

Online Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19835
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: Varroa - to treat, or not to treat ?
« Reply #47 on: July 27, 2017, 10:51:44 am »
>Interesting how we've got ourselves into a 'treat or not-treat' binary way of thinking...

I'm in a "I never think about Varroa" way of thinking.  They haven't been an issue for me for a decade and a half...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

 

anything