So the mites getting into the brood doesn't really happen.
Some will listen, others not, that is life.
There were several studies done in Europe on powdered sugar.
MICI : have you measurements from these "i don't think it has got a lot to do with room. the thing is the bee developes faster, since she doesn't have to grow that large." - Where you get that fact? Can you give a reaseach or measurements?
Many say that small cells are warmer and that is why growth is shorter. But who has measured a) temperature b) speed.
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I have not seen in European varroa control recommendations that sugar shaking. But there are about ten good treatment where you may choose. I may say that European varroa treatment is ahead others and they are high quality researches.
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oh finsky, you know it very well i don't have a "scientific" answer to your question.
a friend from Canada told me that, well he didn't say that they develope faster because they fill the smaller cell faster but that is my assumption. you might ask why? because he also noticed-when transfering from normal cell to SC that the SC bees have a smaller body, like i said before. well, who around here doesn't it find reasonable that development to fullfiling a 4,9 cell takes less time than to develope to 5.2?
anyways i admit, most of it are assumptions, but the do seem logical.
anyways i admit, most of it are assumptions, but the do seem logical.
if there are no scientist researching about it, all we can do is speculate, guess, explain it in a way that seems logic, that's all.
... what else could be the cause of bees faster development?
On 4.9mm it will be between 18 1/2 and 19 day cycle. I've done this many times and everyone who has tried it has reported the same results.
Start of beekeeping cannot go this way
But here is more "wild man's " methods http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/info/disease/varroa.shtml
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Strong hives: at the beginning of springtime, a hive has to have a minimum of one broodbox and one super with bees.
For each hive, 2 drone frames are necessary. You have to buy drone foundation and attach them to a normal broodbox frame. Since you are going to uncap the dronecells and thrust the larvae out, it is better to use wired foundations.
Finsky,
When using drone comb can you freeze the comb to kill varroa like you can wax moths or do you have to uncap and pull all the drones?
If you read varroa problem in South Africa, you may se that in nature bees are smaller than "tamed bees" which produce more honey and have large size. That is result of human selection when beekeepers select better foragers.
In South Africa African bee does not have natural varroa tolerance. Wild bees are in very bad condition everywhere. Beekeepers just wait that resistant bee stock emerge naturally somewhere.
I am talking about information delivery responsibility.
Where did you get this fairy tale from ?
- the SA bees have bested varroa, i.e. they are largely varroa free by now
hmmm finsky, now your talking doesn't make much sense.
hmmm finsky, now your talking doesn't make much sense. first you almost persuaded me that natural cell won't help me, since M. Bush has africanized or african honeybees. with other words, using natural cells only works for african/africanized honeybees, and what you're now saying is that even african bees almost dissapeared coz of varoe :roll:Michael does not have AHB. He has standard EHB that have been raised in nautral cell stups. He has no problem with Varroa.
to cut it, you agreed with M.bush about african bees being varoae hardy and now you're saying the oposit....
You know empilobo that I am not responsible for that what South Africa authorieties write. Don't even try.
Hi Mario
We adopted (largely) a strategy of no treatment in SA; with extensive
monitoring of the varroa impact on both wild & managed colonies. To
begin with varroa did very well in our bees, and built up to (sometimes)
huge numbers. And we saw all the classic varroa symptoms, including
colony collapses. But the population did not collapse - maybe 30-40% of
the bees dies. But those that did not die slowly recovered, and varroa
numbers got less and less. To the extent that we now have bees (both
capensis and scutellata) that are essentially completely tolerant of
varroa, which is now no more than a minor pest. No-one treats now, and
the bees are healthy & happy.
My advice would be to let the susceptible bees die, to not use any
treatment, and to ride out any losses that occur.
Hope that helps
regards
name changed by empilolo to "a reliable source in South Africa"
Also, that I cannot handle a lot of correspondence at present so that if I get lots of additional questions, that I am likely to ignore them.
There many scutellata races in Africa.
not some overly dusty and old papers.
There many scutellata races in Africa.
Slight correction. There are many Apis mellifera races in Africa, scutellata being one of them.
Is this method of putting one frame of drone comb good for a beginning hive? I am trying to decide what to do with my package bees. The powdered sugar method seems like it would cause a lot of mites to be removed...from what I have read,
a friedn from canada has "pure" european (italian) honeybees and without treatment,
so your whole hypothesis that only africanized honeybees can resist varoa falls right into water.
what research?Internet is full of good information. Read them.
about the study how africanized bees resist mites, you haven't showed it .
what i mean with that is that if there is a study about a thing, and you know it shows the opposite of what i or anyone else is saying, you show it.
You are really funny guy :-P
Hey Finsky! how do I make sugar water :-D
the sugar cane is for chewing on, could last for days.
think everyone who treats there bees with chemicals should list that on there label "This Honey Comes From Bees That Have Been Treated With Chemicals" And liste the chemicals
kirk-o
Yeah! "Natural honey. Ice Sugar added every week and syrup feeded whole summer".
hahaha ~ I really love your posts Finsky! You are the Simo Häyhä of beekeeping. 8-)
I did not know Simo Häyhä, but he seems to a really bad a*.*
I applied oxalic acid to my two colonies in mid December. We have a broodless period in our short winters.
This article from 5/05 ~> Survival of a Commercial Beekeeper in Norway (http://www.beesource.com/pov/johnsen/bcmay2005.htm) seems like principled and workable approach. Summary = mite resistant breeding/selection practises, small (4.9mm) cell brood (with large cell honey super (w/queen excluder)), organic acids.
.,).
I never did remove the drone comb frame.
That was probably one of the biggest mistakes that I had ever made in my beekeeping. I probably bred the varroa mite like there was no tomorrow. Yup, I hang my head in shame.
I would like to be as "mite-free" as possible while still being as natural as possible.
Once my friend told that their company sells 140 different kind of car chemical. Have you chemical free car allready, which runs with holy spirit?Actually I do, two of them (http://www.frybrid.com/svo.htm). And, regarding "chemicals", thats a bit of an over generalization as any substance has a chemical composition. So I find it best to focus on toxicity and, in my home, you would find alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ionic-colloidal silver, essential oils, natural soaps, vinegar, etc., as opposed to chlorine bleach, petrol-based solvents, etc.,. Commercially produced products from here (http://www.seventhgen.com/household_hazards/) (& others similarly produced) as opposed to the one's you listed.
you'll see that no matter what you do they will still raise the same number of drones, therefore the same number of mites.
Now, this sounds like using the drone comb foundation is an excellent natural method of culling out the queens that have the propensity for chalkbrood disease.
I had chalkbrood disease quite badly in one of my Carniolan packages that I hived last spring. I requeened when I saw it was a big issue and had no further problem.
But when I see large amounts of chalkbrood, I will go on the pretense that it is the fault of the queen.
He has not ever lost any hives to the varroa mite, he proclaims this.
I referenced a study by two respected Entomologists,C.G. Levin and C.H. Collison, and you call it the "worst nonsence what I have seen for long time!"
The point is, if you forget a drone frame, you haven't made any difference. If you remove it, you have removed some varroa and a lot of resources for the bees.
because so many people eat at MacDonalds that they serve healthy food? "
Finsky,because so many people eat at MacDonalds that they serve healthy food? "
MacDonalds, food is healty and very good.
I can't help myself. Perhaps we should feed the mites McDonalds.
You eat ants in Mexico...
Analyses conducted in the Santander Industrial University about the nutritional value of the ants (Alfonso Villalobos et al, 1999) show high level of protein, very low levels of saturated fat, and an overall high nutritional value.