Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: Pre-Bee (Rowan) on June 23, 2012, 01:15:49 am
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I have a question for those of you that use a sugar water spray instead of smoke with your hive inspections. Do you find that you have a increase in varroa drops compared to no treatment, or similar/less/greater than dusting with powdered sugar? I think spraying each frame would be easier when using top bar or foundationless that hasn't been fully attached instead of tilting the frames to dust. Both kickstart grooming, right?
Thanks.
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Hi from Zagreb, i use a aplle vinager/water solution for calming down bees in summer period. sugar/water solution i use for swarm removal.
i did not check varroa falling because i treated swarms A.S.A.P.Amitraz, Perizin, Milk Acid 15%, or rotenon strips.
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I use both smoke and suger water spray when doing hive inspection.
I have not noticed any mite drop with the suger spray, but I have noticed bees are calmer after being sprayed with the suger water than useing just smoke.
I suppose it occupies them so they are less concerned with what I am doing than just using smoke.
Most of the time I just spray the tops of the frames, once I enter the hive and they calm right down.
Then I might spray them with suger water if they start getting fussy again.
I do use smoke to get them to move out of the way.