Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Grease Patties question  (Read 1327 times)

Offline 2Sox

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 466
  • Gender: Male
Grease Patties question
« on: September 02, 2018, 08:53:44 pm »
It looks like I'm getting slammed by tracheal mites - a problem I never had before. Bees crawling all over the ground and dying in droves. 

I wanted to know about the success you all have had with grease patties for this problem.  Thanks.
"Good will is the desire to have something else stronger and more beautiful for this desire makes oneself stronger and more beautiful." - Eli Siegel, American educator, poet, founder of Aesthetic Realism

Offline TheHoneyPump

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1389
  • Work Hard. Play Harder.
Grease Patties question
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2018, 04:03:52 am »
How do you know its tracheal mites?  Have you sampled and analysis?  Sliced and scoped?
It could just as easily bee a case of poisoning, pesticides
Or for example CBPV: Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus.
   - quick video searches give many examples:
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgNd9YeTRGI

Try not to make assumptions.  If your bees are direly sick, take sample and get it analysis by your state apiculturalist to know what it is.  Only then you can know what to treat and properly how.

Wrt to success of grease patties for tracheal mites, my practice is yes absolutely every hive gets a patty religiously twice a year spring and fall.  My grease patties are very greasy pollen feed patties.  Crisco + pollen + treatment for whatever else I may need to be dealing with.  I have not had any tracheal mite levels of any concern for .... decades ....  I suspect that the methods applied for effectively managing varroa has an equal if not more decimating effect on the tracheal mites.
« Last Edit: September 07, 2018, 07:10:10 pm by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Grease Patties question
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2018, 12:49:38 pm »
2sox,
I?m not sure about your area but down here trachael mites have been pretty much wiped out with no intervention from beekeepers per our Bee inspector. I?m not sure but I think it is the same up north.
My father in law used to preach using grease patties, in PA but I do not think he used them the last few years.
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 robirot

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 108
  • Gender: Male
    • Finest German Carnolians and more
Re: Grease Patties question
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2018, 11:01:47 am »
Trat them with formic acid, kills Varoa and Tracheal mites.

Gesendet von meinem thl_Knight_1 mit Tapatalk


Online Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19832
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: Grease Patties question
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2018, 11:46:27 am »
>It looks like I'm getting slammed by tracheal mites - a problem I never had before. Bees crawling all over the ground and dying in droves. 

I haven't seen anyone with tracheal mite problems for a decades.  More likely pesticides...  I lost a lot to pesticides this summer.
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

Offline TheHoneyPump

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1389
  • Work Hard. Play Harder.
Grease Patties question
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2018, 11:44:44 am »
2Sox.    Have you determined what was wrong with you bees?   Am curious of the outcome and hopeful they can recover.
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.