Subject: BEES ALL DEAD -- RESISTANT MITES?????

From: [email-masked] (Dennis Yonke)
Date: 15 Feb 1996 15:25:36 GMT

I have/HAD 11 hives in S.E. Michigan -- last saturday it was 56 degrees, 
and, much to my distress, not a bee in site.  I opened the hives -- every 
bee was dead, and they felt somewhat dampish, although there were no 
leaks, as my equipment is in good shape.

It looks to me like trachael mites, but I treated in late September with 
Apistan Strips and with Menthol.  I was wondering if anyone else had any 
experience -- are mites becoming resistant to menthol.  Or, any other 
thoughts.

I did have some Varoa this summer, but the Apistan has always taken care 
of that.  We also had some fairly cold weather a few weeks ago, but 
nothing we haven't had before.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Dennis Yonke

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 15 Feb 1996 16:15:05 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

>experience -- are mites becoming resistant to menthol.  Or, any other 

   Late September in your area is probably too cool for menthol to work. 
I have never had much confidence in it anyway, and it is expensive and
miserable to work with. (Don't ever rub your eyes!)  When you get queens,
make SURE your queen breeder does NOT treat for tracheal mites.  His weak
stock has thus been weeded out, and there will be some resistance in the
remaining stock.  After some initial experiments which were inconclusive,
we quit treating for tracheal mites.  We took our lumps, then bred from
the best we had. Today, when I see tracheal mite damage, it is usually in
something I've requeened this year with purchased queens.

   Some breeders are better than others, and some won't tell you the truth
either.  They'll tell you what they think you want to hear.  One of the
best, in my estimation, who is straightforward, and generallly raised darn
good queens is  *   *.  

Oops .... I almost forgot all the listening ears.  I might not be able to
get queens when I need them.  E-Mail me!

[email-masked]   Dave Green, PO Box 1200,  Hemingway, SC  29554

[email-masked]                                   Dave Green
Dave's Pollination Service         Eastern Pollinator Newsletter
PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC    29554

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From: [email-masked] (MiksaHF)
Date: 16 Feb 1996 01:28:12 -0500

I also agree with Dave's pollination,  I too, had many years ago found out
that Acrapis Woodi mites were not always the cause of colony losses.  
Last week I had an NASA engineer stop in to watch us graft queen cells.   
He said every beekeeper around him sprayed that cancer causing stuff
amitraz in their colonies and still have huge losses, he had none, I asked
why?    He said he reared his own queens from good colonies and fed
Fumdil-B, that was 35 miles north of Huntsville, Ala.  I'am in Florida and
have been rearing queens for 35 years; have tried menthol one season for
mites, with no change in honey production nor in wintering.   BUT, I have
fed Fumdil-B for 28 of the past 30 years.   I have not had losses like
others have said they did.   In fact in the past 10 years I have the
better colonies every year compaired to 20 years ago.     

I have KOH, slice and cut and read tracheal tubes.    Many years ago I
found the survey for tracheal mites a waste of time.      It came to me
real fast when one day a beekeeper 22 miles east of us asked me to come
over to see his dead and dying bees due to tracheal mites.    Sure, his
whole yard was covered with K-wing bees, shaking, crawling, no winter
clusolonies.       I had him collect all the mite dying bees he could and
place them into the alcohol  ALL K-winged.       At my place I KOH'ed them
and read the tubes, YES 68% had Acrapis Woodi mites.   BUT my question was
What?      What were the other 32% dying from that did NOT have
mites???????       Logic tells me that the 68% that had mites were dying
>from  the same thing that the other 38% were that did not have mites.     I
have moved way on ahead and took care of the other problem that was
killing bees (Paraylasis).

The Apistan strips only work good if you place them in the middle of the
brood area, also the active chemical in apistan can hurt bees if the temp.
around the strip falls below 53 degrees and bees are close to the strip at
that temp.

Miksa Honey Farms,  David Miksa

PS.  I'am all sold out of queens untill past 4/15/1996 and all sold out of
bees.

Keep the weeds out of your garden!!!