A handful of mites (I am talking about 4-5) after 24 hours is a very low count from what I understand.
Well, It is a hand-empty. :-D
Ooops, my apology Annette, guess I missed the (4-5) in parentheses. If you are into the mite counting, why not do the 3 day (72 hour) count, and then use the equation to get a more exact number (I do this for interest myself).
I did the 72 hour mite count and took the boards out of the hive yesterday at 11:00 A.M.
The results were OK, I need to treat though, no question. One hive had a fairly high number, it was the same hive that had a higher number when I did the mite counting in September.
I am doing the oxalic acid fumigation tomorrow. THis will kill all mites. No brood, so nothing to worry about there with hatching mites. I may have to do a second treatment on the hive with high numbers though, we'll see. I am into mite counting, it is my experimental nature and I don't mind to do this to keep records, as I love to record keep too. Have a wonderful and beautiful day on this great planet, Earth. Cindi
Does anyone know how long mites can live on the bees without the ability to propogate? I could google it I guess, but am rather lazy in some regards.