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Author Topic: i have mites(my bees have mites)  (Read 3610 times)

Offline newguy

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« on: June 17, 2005, 08:53:09 pm »
i just checked my bees and found that they still have not drawn much comb (1/8 of one side of one frame) since i put my second deep on, about three weeks.  i found four queen cells, two of which had no eggs, one had one egg and one had three eggs.  i know multiple eggs is a sign of a laying worker but i have lots of capped cells and lots of new eggs where bees have already emerged.  i even found the queen for the first time, she looked fine, at least as far as a new guy could tell.  i scrapped off the queen cells and moved the full deep to the top, and checkered a couple of frames.  i saw a bee with a mite and saw another one that was just about dead with a mite.  i know there's more.  this is an 8 week old package and i know im not getting any honey, should i threat them now for the mites or is there some other reason i should wait for fall.  please give me your thoughts on what i should do about the mites and about the queen cells and multiple eggs.  :(

Offline Apis629

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2005, 06:23:43 pm »
You could treat the mites now if you don't put on honeysupers for at least six weeks.  You could probably try Checkmite+ or Apistan. (To combat mites I do a sugar dust.)  One thing I have heard to be very succesful is Surocide.    Probably Surocide would be the most effective because there have been far fewer reports of mites resistent to it than Checkmite+ or Apistan.  IT all really depends on what the mites in your area are resistant to and how much effort/$ do you want to put in.

Offline Michael Bush

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2005, 08:36:21 pm »
>bees have mites

Everyones bees have mites.

>i found four queen cells, two of which had no eggs, one had one egg and one had three eggs.

On the bottom or in the middle of the frame?

>i know multiple eggs is a sign of a laying worker

Multiple eggs are a sign of a queen that is new to laying or one that has no room OR a laying worker.  But a laying worker lays on the sides of the cell and a queen lays in the bottom.  I've seen a crowded queen in a two frame medium nuc laying multiple eggs and even laying eggs on pollen, which I think of as a laying worker trait.  But then it was singles on the polle and the laying workers usually cover them.  :)

>but i have lots of capped cells and lots of new eggs where bees have already emerged. i even found the queen for the first time, she looked fine,

Sounds like she's out of room to lay.

>i scrapped off the queen cells

Why?  They will either rebuild them or they will swarm anyway and leave the hive queenless.  If they are intent on swarming, I'd do a split and leave the cells.  If you want an extra queen or two you can put them in small nucs and get some queens.

>and moved the full deep to the top, and checkered a couple of frames. i saw a bee with a mite and saw another one that was just about dead with a mite. i know there's more. this is an 8 week old package and i know im not getting any honey, should i threat them now for the mites or is there some other reason i should wait for fall.

Do a sugar roll.
http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdjan00.htm#Article2

Uncap some drones.  If you have SBB look for mites on the tray.  If you don't get a sticky board.  Everyone has mites.  What you need to do is quantify the mites.  How many are there?

>please give me your thoughts on what i should do about the mites

If the mite load is a drop of 60 or more in 24 hours on a sticky board, I'd probably do something.  Personally I'd use Oxalic acid vapor and treat them once a week for three weeks.  But you could use sucrocide or powdered sugar once a week for three weeks.

>and about the queen cells and multiple eggs.

Give her some room and that will straighten out.
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Offline newguy

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2005, 09:28:07 pm »
micheal bush
 2 of the queen cups/cells were in the middle and two of them' were in the bottom third. what does their location say about their intentions? :oops:   i wasnt aware that everyones bees have mites :oops: , that it was matter of numbers. thank for clarifying.  they have plenty of room for expantion its just that the queen does'nt, for some reason they arent drawing anymore comb, just a tiny bit in the last two weeks. today i saw tons of orientation flights, im hoping that this new batch of bees will be more ambitious.  thanks
kevin

Offline wingmaster

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2005, 08:34:39 am »
:o A few questions one is there at least two frames of caped honey? Are there plenty of pollen stores? Was the queen market is she the same queen you put in the hive? Are they aggressive? Are there any bees with deformed wings? Do you see bees that crawl around the front of the hive and can’t fly? Where did you get the bees? I would rather give you good advice. So if you could give me more info it would help. If it’s a week hive you don’t want to break up the brood nest by placing UN drown comb between brood combs. They will have a hard time keeping the brood at the right temp. If it gets to hot or to cold you could be doing more harm than good. You can take frames of honey or pollen stores and checker board them but keep the brood intact. The only time you want to do any kind of checker boarding is when you have a very strong colony that will have no problem regulating the brood temp. This way you can add more room to the brood nest and keep them from swarming. You can’t force a week hive to draw out come you will end up loosing your foundation to wax moths. Give the bees all the room they need but not more then that. Timing is the key to good beekeeping. If you don’t add room at the right time they will swarm and if you add before the bees need it they can’t defend all the empty space and will fall prey to hive beetles or wax moths.

Offline newguy

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2005, 10:23:50 am »
i think it only has a little more than one frame of capped honey.

there is plenty of pollen

im not sure about the queen, i know she looks a lot bigger than when i started it but i was told by the seller (dadant)she would grow a little so i thought that was what happened, she was not marked

they are incredibly docile, in eight weeks i havent seen one aggressive bee

i havent seen any bees with deformed wings or crawling around in front, on a very hot day i saw quite a few in front not flying but that was the only day

i may have stressed them by breaking up the brood nest i guess i should not have done that but that was why i moved the bottom deep to the top, so they wouldnt loose that heat to the deep of undrawn foundation

i geuss i have week colony but i didnt have anything to compare it to, i thought it was doing fine, just a little slow which i attributed to the long string of foul weather. no sign of any pests other than mites which i just noticed and the occational slug. since i got rid of my boardman feed i havent seen any ants.

thanks fo the help

Offline Michael Bush

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2005, 12:52:10 pm »
>2 of the queen cups/cells were in the middle and two of them' were in the bottom third. what does their location say about their intentions?

Supercedure.  Not swarm.  Maybe the bees don't the way she's laying multiple eggs either.  :)

> i wasnt aware that everyones bees have mites

Unless you live in some remote area of the mountains that by some strange chance didn't get exposed, you have Varroa mites.

Michael
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline wingmaster

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i have mites(my bees have mites)
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2005, 08:11:52 am »
:cry:   Sorry that it took so long to replay my computer died and I had to get some parts for it.   :D It sounds like you have a failing queen. Let them make a new one. Look for drone sells and pull out the brood count the mites on the brood. If you can’t find any mite free drone sells then treat them for mites. You will probably find that they will pick up the pace after they requeen themselves. Are they Caucasian bees? If they are that’s why they are slow to build up can’t get them mad either. They don’t care what you do to them.