From SYSAM@uacsc2.albany.edu Mon Dec 12 12:54:33 EST 1994
Article: 1041 of sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!udel!news.mathworks.com!news2.near.net!satisfied.elf.com!rpi!rebecca!uacsc2.albany.edu!SYSAM
From: SYSAM@uacsc2.albany.edu (Aaron Morris)
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Subject: Re: Are these varroa mites?
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 94 07:44:12 EST
Organization: University at Albany, Albany NY 12222
Lines: 80
Message-ID: <1708A6CD1S86.SYSAM@uacsc2.albany.edu>
References: <1994Dec9.115953.35000@cc.usu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: uacsc2.albany.edu

In article <1994Dec9.115953.35000@cc.usu.edu>
sltqd@cc.usu.edu writes:
 
>
>Bad news:
>
>I went out yesterday to take a look at the hives and found out of six,
>five were dead...
>
>As I asked before, are these the damnable varroa I have been hearing about?
>Can we use the infected boxes and frames again, or should they be destroyed?
>Is there anything else we can do for next year to prevent the mites from
>infecting?
>
>Thanks for your help earlier and now,
>
 
Todd,
   Telling you what you already know, "Yup.  Mites have done you in!".
It's a sad and hard lesson that more and more of us are learning.  Seems
one would have to live in a cave not to have at least heard of varroa,
but it's not until it hits home that we realize the "It CAN happen
here!".  I follow very closely current literature about the mites'
progress, but it wasn't until I had 'em that I took the threat
seriously.
   The bad news, as you've noted, is that you lost 5 outta 6 hives.
Chances are that hive number 6 is in jeopardy.  You can still treat that
hive, but it's only worth the bother if there is a sufficient remaining
population to warrant treatment.  You'll need two strips and they come
packaged by the dozen (or is it ten?) for about $20 U.S.  I would guess
(and this is ONLY a guess) that your remaining hive is probably close to
the end and probably won't make it through the winter, treatment or not.
   The most critical time to treat your hives is in the fall, about
the time when drones are being expelled.  At that time, drone brood
(preferred by varroa) is next to nonexistant and varroa switches over
to worker brood.  The percentage of infected workers skyrockets at a
time when your hive needs a healthy worker population in preparation for
winter.  The added stress of varroa can cause the workers to die before
they make it through the winter, or as noted in this forum, can cause
your bees to abscond (take off for a better location or perhaps move
into neighboring hives - taking the infestation with them)!  Thus, it is
very important to diagnose and treat for varroa when the honey season is
winding down.  In these parts (Upstate New York) there was a real
conflict between the approaching winter and a GREAT(!) fall honey flow.
One should never treat hives with ANYTHING while honey supers (for human
consumption) are in plave.  I opted to withhold treatment until the
fall flow was completely over.  So far that decision has cost me two out
eight hives.  Hardly worth the 50 or 60 pounds of honey I got by waiting.
   The good news is that you will be able to reuse your equipment next
spring.  The mites are parasites and require healthy hosts to survive.
When the bees die, the mites' demise is not far off.  You should however
be warry of your new bees picking up varroa from your area next year.
If hive number 6 survives, it should be suspect.  If hive 6 doesn't make
it, your area is still suspect.  Learn to diagnose varroa by means other
than a dead hive.  Ether roll or visual examination of drone brood are
two methods to determine if your bees have mites.  If you find that
mites are a problem, get the supers off and the Apistan strips in.  And
be particularly warry of reinfestation from your own hives.  If you
find mites in a single hive and treat accordingly, but miss a problem
in a neighboring hive, the treated hive may be quick to pick up mites
>from  the infested but untreated neighbor.  Varroa is a REAL problem that
can wipe out a hive totally or take a good chunk out of a honey flow if
they show up at the wrong time.  Murphy's law says they'll probably show
up at the peak of the best honey flow of the season.  If they do, your
choice is to sacrifice the harvest for the sake of your bees or sacrifice
your bees in sake of a better harvest.  It's more economical to sacrifice
the harvest than the bees.  I'll keep a closer eye on the problem next
year and may opt to skip the fall flow altogether in favor of an early
treatment.  I'd rather have less honey in the fall and healthy bees in
the spring than more honey in the fall and NO bees in the spring.
   Finally, keep current on breeding efforts.  There currently are no
breeds available commercially that have proven to be varroa resistant.
Buckfast bees show promise towards tracheal (not varroa) mite resistance
and there are signs of hope for varroa resistance from other breeds,
but nothing is available yet.  Currently, Apistan is the best bet, but
better bees may be on the horizon.
   Sorry for your loss.  Consider it an expensive lesson from the
School of Hard Knocks.  Good luck staying mite free next year!
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!


From westphal@halo.arc.nasa.gov Tue Dec 13 15:42:32 EST 1994
Article: 1044 of sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-server.ncren.net!taco.cc.ncsu.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!ames!halo.arc.nasa.gov!westphal
From: westphal@halo.arc.nasa.gov (Doug Westphal)
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Subject: Varroa Mites: two observations
Date: 12 Dec 1994 15:48:05 GMT
Organization: NASA Ames
Lines: 22
Message-ID: <3chrbl$deh@news.arc.nasa.gov>
NNTP-Posting-Host: halo.arc.nasa.gov


I use bees for bee venom therapy and as such am often observing them
through clear jars.

Observation 1: Nine out of ten mites are on the abdomen and out of view
when looking at the bees in the hive. I have had several beekeepers say
that they didn't have mites, and mites couldn't be seen in the hive, but
as soon as a get them in my jar, I can see their abdomens and one mite
per twenty or thirty bees becomes real obvious. So, if you want a better
look at them, put a bunch in a jar and look at their bellys.

Observation 2: I have seen mites on workers in spring and summer and fall.
The party line says that they move off the drones and onto the workers in fall.
That may be true in some cases, but I have seen MANY on workers in summer.
So, I'd be looking for them all year long. You might not be able to treat
a problem during honey flow, but you will know that they are around and be
ready to treat after honey flow.

Doug Westphal
Santa Cruz, CA

ps. Mites seem to be killing 40 to 70% of hives in San Jose and Santa Cruz.


From adamf@vtaix.cc.vt.edu Tue Dec 13 15:44:06 EST 1994
Article: 1045 of sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-server.ncren.net!taco.cc.ncsu.edu!gatech!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.mathworks.com!news.duke.edu!solaris.cc.vt.edu!vtaix.cc.vt.edu!adamf
From: adamf@vtaix.cc.vt.edu (Adam Finkelstein)
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Subject: When to treat mites(was Re: Varroa Mites: two observations)
Date: 12 Dec 1994 18:58:54 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech
Lines: 32
Message-ID: <3ci6he$gu9@solaris.cc.vt.edu>
References: <3chrbl$deh@news.arc.nasa.gov>
NNTP-Posting-Host: vtaix.cc.vt.edu
NNTP-Posting-User: adamf

In article <3chrbl$deh@news.arc.nasa.gov>,
Doug Westphal <westphal@halo.arc.nasa.gov> wrote:

(Deleted)

>Observation 2: I have seen mites on workers in spring and summer and fall.
>The party line says that they move off the drones
>and onto the workers in fall.
>That may be true in some cases, but I have seen MANY on workers in summer.
>So, I'd be looking for them all year long. You might not be able to treat
>a problem during honey flow, but you will know that they are around and be
>ready to treat after honey flow.

 The most effective time to treat Varroa with Apistan is when there is no
brood at all. Apistan works on contact. So, if there are only worker bees,
and no brood, Apistan will contact these bees most effectively.
Treating in Fall, winter, or spring is fine, but the best control will be
obtained when there are only house bees.
 I've seen Varroa on queens. NASTY.
Adam
>
>Doug Westphal
>Santa Cruz, CA
>
>ps. Mites seem to be killing 40 to 70% of hives in San Jose and Santa Cruz.


-- 
____________________________________________________________________________ 
Adam Finkelstein                     Price Hall 
Entomology                   VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA  24001-0325 
adamf@vtaix.cc.vt.edu ______________________________________________________


