Oxalic acid treatment

[Cindi]

I think you should let Finsky know you are a she and not a he.

Cindy knows 100,00% what he is doing.

Newbie, now that is funny. I noticed that he called me a "he" but I thought it was only a typing error.  Maybe he does think I am a guy, but I do think that my name (well in our English language) is feminine, well, maybe not.  I don't know, I don't care.  I can be anything anyone wants me to be.  I can conform, it matters not a whit. LOL.  Great day. Cindi

[Finsky]

I think you should let Finsky know you are a she and not a he.

Yes, sorry, I know that she is she. It was typing error.

In Finnish language we use only "hän" = he, she . And about friends and animals we say "se" = it.

[Finsky]

I do not profess to know everything, I hope I never gave that impression. 

I like myself if I give the impression that I know everything. "Modesty is not my virtue "

But 5 years ago I lost 60% of my hives. On reson was dry summer but at least as big reason was that I had fluvinate resistant varroa population. I had 18 hives in previous spring and next spring I had 6 normal colonies and 5 coffee cup size. In autumn I started to use trickling.

Still with 6 normal hive and 5 coffee cup hive I got more honey than with those 18 hives. I took into use all the best tricks what I knew about beekeeping. And after that I changed whole my system and my yields jumped 80% and have stayed on that new level.  - You perhaps know that in front of conpulsion even bleep lays eggs.

[tig]

lmao good one michael!  a few weeks after honeyflow i treated my colonies with apistan because i had some varroa mites which i got from a neighboring beekeeper. as is my usual practice, i took brood and comb samples to the university of the philippines for inspection after i had removed the mite strips. the university gave me a clean bill of health [ no fungus, no spores of afb, efb, etc and no more mites].  the testing done wasn't just microscopically but a complete culture test.  since i supply the university with nucs for the national beekeeping program, i'm regularly monitored and tested.

about 2 months after the clean bill of health, i noticed that some colonies were starting to decline.  there were no specific symptoms aside from not having sealed brood.  plenty of eggs and larva but no sealed brood.  the adult bees didn't have deformed wings, the larva was pearly white, the eggs were floating in royal jelly.  perplexed, i called the university and they sent out a team to check my colonies and take another sample.  by this time i didn't have sealed brood in any of the boxes so they took comb and larva samples.  they couldn't find anything from the samples taken.  the colonies continued the decline and many started to abscond.

when i reported the absconding, it rang alarm bells because melifferas don't abscond as a rule.  i was told to ask around if anyone had seen a colony of apis dorsata and true enough in the next farm there was a huge nest.  i was  told that what i had was trophilaelaps but by then i had lost all 30 colonies.

apis dorsata is the main host of trophilaelaps but the mites don't seem to bother them because of their migratory nature.  the colony near me left after 2 months and i was told that it comes back yearly to the same tree.

as you can see from the picture, its much smaller than varroa and i'm told the larva looks like a piece of fine white thread which makes it very difficult to spot.  it's much smaller than the egg of a queen.

the fact that its been attacking melliferas and destroying the colonies makes it alarming.  apistan is supposed to kill these mites but i'm worried about the mites becoming resistant.

[Finsky]

the fact that its been attacking melliferas and destroying the colonies makes it alarming.  apistan is supposed to kill these mites but i'm worried about the mites becoming resistant.

Our bee researcher wrote that  trophilaelaps mite  lives only 2 days  outside the bee brood.  If you make artificial swarm from hive, it will be cleaned totally. When brood have emerged mite will disapear when it has no where to go.



 

[Cindi]

But 5 years ago I lost 60% of my hives. On reson was dry summer but at least as big reason was that I had fluvinate resistant varroa population. I had 18 hives in previous spring and next spring I had 6 normal colonies and 5 coffee cup size. In autumn I started to use trickling.

Still with 6 normal hive and 5 coffee cup hive I got more honey than with those 18 hives. I took into use all the best tricks what I knew about beekeeping. And after that I changed whole my system and my yields jumped 80% and have stayed on that new level.  - You perhaps know that in front of conpulsion even bleep lays eggs.

You see Finsky, that is one of the causes of the loss of colonies for me.  My 4 colonies left have small winter cluster, but it is much larger than a coffee cup size, I should be grateful for that.  I would say it is more like football.  I know that is probably still not very big, but I am hoping that they will come through winter OK.  I will be working very hard next year to ensure that the colonies are healthy, with no varroa mite present.  I just never realized the enormous amount of damage that occurs with this pest.  Probably the original 3 colonies that I had brought through the winter last year had them big time and were not treated well enough and passed the mites through to my new package colonies I installed last spring.  Anyways, so many lessons learned the hard way.  But I think if learned the hard way, one NEVER forgets, and brings forth wonderful and new knowledge to the next season of their beekeeping life.
What do you mean bleep lays eggs. Great Day. Cindi.

[Cindi]

Tig I looked at the pictures of the trophilaelaps (lesser mite also called), it is as ugly as the varroa.  What a plague among bees, it sounds like it is even worse.  I wonder if you will get reinfected as the apis dorsata will probably come back to the same place next year.  What Finsky said about the trophilaelaps living outside of the brood for only 2 days sounds like what you should try to employ, about making swarms.  Hope this all works out well for you next year Tig.  Great day. Cindi

[kensfarm]

Hi Cindy..  sorry about your bee's

How did the stores look on the dead & small hives? 
Single hive bodies on these hives? 
Did you do any feeding late fall? 

****
What is the best course of action for the small cluster hives? 
Combine?
Put above large hive for the heat? 

[Cindi]

Hi Cindy..  sorry about your bee's

How did the stores look on the dead & small hives? 
Single hive bodies on these hives? 
Did you do any feeding late fall?
What is the best course of action for the small cluster hives? 
Combine?
Put above large hive for the heat? 

thank you for your sorry Ken.  Stores on the dead hives were lots and all hives too for that matter, lots of food.  Single bodies on hives.  they were reduced to one box around middle of October.  Fed 2:1 s.s. for over one month until bees stopped taking it, which was when I reduced to one box. 

There is 4 hives that have the "smaller" cluster, they have about 6 frames bees that are centred on the frames, so of course the bees do not cover the entire length of frame.

The one hive that has only 2 frames of bees.  I don't know what.  It is sad.  I think that I am going to do an experiment with this hive.  It will die for sure cause it is too small.  It is really too bad about this little one too, because it had a REALLY, REALLY strong and prolific queen, it was one of the better laying queens that I had.  So I think that today I am going to make a nuc hive and put the bees in it and bring it up onto my front porch that is open to the air.  It is on the south side of my house, and would be very protected from wind and cold weather.  It is not that cold, but it would increase heat for this little nuc.  Before I put the bees in this nuc I am going to have the nuc at house temperature, so it will be nice and warm for them to be stuffed into.  I will take the frames that they are on and put them in the middle of the nuc.

I don't know if this will work or not.  I don't even know if this little colony is still alive.  But nothing gained, nothing lost.  It doesn't have a chance if I don't intervent somehow.  I thought of combining.  That would be good.  But then I would lose the queen, and I know she is an excellent one.  I thought of putting it on top of another hive for warmth too.  But I think I will just make the nuc and try and baby it for a month or two.  We will see.  All about learning now isn't it?  Great day.  Cindi

[Finsky]

  My 4 colonies left have small winter cluster, but it is much larger than a coffee cup size, I should be grateful for that.  I would say it is more like football. 

My hives were coffe cup size after winter but in autumn they were in two boxes, like basket ball.

[Finsky]

The one hive that has only 2 frames of bees.  I don't know what.  It is sad.  I think that I am going to do an experiment with this hive.  It will die for sure cause it is too small.  .... it had a REALLY, REALLY strong and prolific queen, it was one of the better laying queens that I had. 

I have wintered 2 frame nucs during three winters a experiment. There was 3 frames and I had 3 W terrarium heater during frost period and spring. They wintered splended in firewood shelter. That size colony has only value of queen. Without electrict heating 5 frame colony is minimum to winter succesfully.

in small hives room must be restricted to the size of winter cluster.

[Cindi]

Finsky, why did the hives lose so much of their population to go down from basketball to coffee cup size.  Is this a normal winter loss in size?  I get the impression that they built up very nicely for the next season though, correct?  Great day.  Cindi

[Cindi]

The one hive that has only 2 frames of bees.  I don't know what.  It is sad.  I think that I am going to do an experiment with this hive.  It will die for sure cause it is too small.  .... it had a REALLY, REALLY strong and prolific queen, it was one of the better laying queens that I had. 

I have wintered 2 frame nucs during three winters a experiment. There was 3 frames and I had 3 W terrarium heater during frost period and spring. They wintered splended in firewood shelter. That size colony has only value of queen. Without electrict heating 5 frame colony is minimum to winter succesfully.

in small hives room must be restricted to the size of winter cluster.

I did not get out to work with this "baby" sized colony today. Hope to tomorrow.  so, I only have a 5 frame deep nuc box.  I think you mean to have 2 frames of bees, 1 frame of honey/pollen.  There will be room left over for 2 frames.  Within this 2 frame cavity, so I fill it up with old leaves or something.  I could put a wooden divider in beside the third frame to the leaves do not interfere with bees?  Great day. Cindi

[Finsky]

Finsky, why did the hives lose so much of their population to go down from basketball to coffee cup size. 

That happened on large area in Finland, Sweden and Germany in that year. The biggest reason was dry late summer. Bees did not get good quality pollen for raising winter bees. Bees were weak and got nosema and what ever.  I had 4 splended hives in one site on outer yard and they all died.

Normal loss was 30% . Some beekeeprs lost 100%. My lost was 60%.

Here is my setup to tiny hive in April when snow is melting. I kept all winter electrict heating in this hive. Next summer 2006 it brought 200 lbs honey.
The idea is that hive must have whole box full of brood at the end of May and then is capable to get honey in main yield in July. It nees a couple of frames emerging bees from big hives at the beginning of may. I feed with pollen patty and warm up with electrict that big hives are able to row 3 times faster than in natural way. This has been my consept during 4 years after catastrophe.

Without help of emerging bee frames small colony is not able to build up soon enough. Sugar or pollen feeding helps nothing. Such a hive will be just a toy.

[Finsky]

I could put a wooden divider in beside the third frame to the leaves do not interfere with bees?  Great day. Cindi

If you take extra frames off and put on boath side of bees styrofoam board piece. It keeps bees warm. Look picture.

[Cindi]

Finksy, I  love that you take the time to offer so much help.  That is amazing what you have done to save the bees.

Things are so different as far as weather is concerned where I live.  an example is, right now, it is +6C, it is 5:30 A.M.  It is not so cold as Finland.  I think you are in a very very cold place.  We are very temperate climate.  It is raining, that keeps it much warmer.  We had a very cold spell for a couple of weeks and it did not go below -3 C.

I do not think that I need the electric cables, because I think it may make the bees too warm.  If they become too warm, then the concern is that they will think it is summer and maybe all come out and die? I don't know what temperature outside will kill the bees?  Answer?  These are things I do not know.

The picture is one taken on 24 April of this year.  The colony bearding and the two right beside are the three that overwintered last winter.  The one on left was the very strongest.  I think that these 3 colonies may have had the varroa mite worse than I thought and passed it to the 4 packages that I installed in April last spring, just before this picture was taken.
I do not have styrofoam, but still wonder if I put in a wooden divider (which I have) and straw?  I have straw, lots of it, we use it for bedding for rabbits and chickenhouses.  Will that work as well as styrofoam?

By April we have strong, strong build-up, I will show picture of hive.

Your input is appreciated.  Great day, Finsky.  Cindi

[Finsky]

It is impossible to me to know where everybody lives.

Perhaps there in America you are not greed after money. It motivates to get good honey yield, - that greediness.

[KONASDAD]

What is the recipe for this drip? Also, a recent article in ABJ or BC, cant recall, said it is illegal in the US. Is this still the case?

[Cindi]

It is impossible to me to know where everybody lives.

Perhaps there in America you are not greed after money. It motivates to get good honey yield, - that greediness.

Finksy, no I think that there is lots of greed to get money here, and that is not wrong.  Of course, I want to make some money this year, so I want to work hard to get my hives to start to pay back all the money that I have put into them for almost 2 years now.  They need to work hard this year, I am not afraid to say that, I want to make them healthy for their sake, mine and for the sake of having success in my apiary, instead of such a failure that I witnessed this past season.  Have an awesome day, Finsky.  Cindi