Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: edward on September 22, 2013, 01:02:43 pm

Title: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: edward on September 22, 2013, 01:02:43 pm
Take 1- 2 dl of bees from the brood nest and put them in a jar with a mesh lid on that is Small enough to keep the bees in and big enough so that the mites can fall out.

Take a few spoons of dry icing powder and put into the jar of bees and shake well so all the bees are covered in the icing sugar and are White.

After a few minutes shake the jar vigorously.

The sugar covered bees start to clean themselves, also it cogs the mites feet so they cant walk and grip on to the bees.

Shake the icing sugar into a fine mesh sieve, then wash the sugar away with water and you will bee left with the Varroa mite that were on the bees.

This method i also used to determen apistan resistance in mites : put some bees in a jar with a piece of apistan for 24hrs, shake out the dead mites Count them, then do the sugar treatment and Count the dead mite to determen if they are resistant to the apistan or other mite treatments.


mvh Edward   :-P
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way - the sugar shake
Post by: edward on November 09, 2013, 02:34:17 pm
Here is a youtube film (in German) but you can get a good idea what and how to do it

Varroa Befallskontrolle mit Puderzucker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZQmm78nMnE#ws)


mvh Edward  :-P
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: edward on January 01, 2014, 07:45:46 pm
If you want to see a varroa mite get a taste of his own medicine :evil:

Varroa unter Kontrolle - Beenature-Project (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkdrRuWmbm4#ws)

mvh Edward  :-P
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Vance G on February 21, 2014, 01:27:34 pm
I do a sugar roll in much the same way.  I like to put the sugar I collect after shaking the bees in a zip lock sandwich bag and add a little water.  The wet sugar turns opaque and the mites are clearly visible and countable in the baggie.

I use two jars with the screened lids and after collecting and rolling the bees, I place the jar and bees in the shade and go on to the next hive.  When the bees are collected and sugar tolled and coated, I set that jar in the shade and go back and collect the sugar from the first jar.  Repeat as you go   
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: annette on February 21, 2014, 10:45:24 pm
If you want to see a varroa mite get a taste of his own medicine :evil:

Varroa unter Kontrolle - Beenature-Project (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkdrRuWmbm4#ws)

mvh Edward  :-P

That was great. What kind of bug is this?
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Edgy on February 22, 2014, 08:46:53 pm
Cool video.  I'll use this method to keep an eye on mite population....  When I get some bees that is.  Thanks
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: edward on February 23, 2014, 01:11:49 am
That was great. What kind of bug is this?

In Sweden we call it a book scorpion, they like living amongst paper. they used to bee a commom dweller in beehives amongst 30 to 40 other different kind of bugs and insects that some times lived along side the bees.

Chelifer cancroides  its name in Latin

"A pseudoscorpion, (also known as a false scorpion or book scorpion), is an arachnid belonging to the order Pseudoscorpionida, also known as Pseudoscorpiones or Chelonethida.

Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans since they prey on clothes moth larvae, carpet beetle larvae, booklice, ants, mites, and small flies. They are small and inoffensive, and are rarely seen due to their size.
"


mvh Edward  :-P
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: annette on February 24, 2014, 08:03:47 pm
It reminded me of a scorpion. Very freaky looking insect. It moves almost like a machine.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: jayj200 on May 25, 2014, 07:34:35 pm
edward
that bug sure can play the fiddle
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: davidawbrown on July 09, 2014, 08:03:15 pm
Crazy German lady, I never understand why people don't use a veil!

A bee sting in the eye!!! NOO!

Cool video and great idea.

Regards
Dave
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: minz on July 10, 2014, 07:46:50 pm
I dump them onto a white paper in the sun.  They look like popcorn bouncing around.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Kathyp on August 11, 2014, 11:55:45 pm
i count them this way:

ahhh...that's not to many mites

OR

Dang it, that's a lot of mites!!

then i treat accordingly.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: estreya on August 15, 2014, 02:16:35 pm
Does the container need to be shaken so vigorously in order for the mites to dislodge?
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: edward on August 15, 2014, 04:35:11 pm
Yes it helps to disloge them from the bees
The sugar clogs their feet so they can not clime back onto the bees.
Title: Re:
Post by: LaurieBee on August 15, 2014, 11:59:34 pm
It looks like the vigorous shaking would be really hard on the bees. I'm sure the mites are worse but those poor bees must have a headache when its all over.
Title: Re:
Post by: BeeMaster2 on August 17, 2014, 04:59:37 am
It looks like the vigorous shaking would be really hard on the bees. I'm sure the mites are worse but those poor bees must have a headache when its all over.

Yea, I would bet the bees would rather bee "poured, not shaken".  :-D
Jim
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: minz on August 19, 2014, 04:41:16 pm
I used to get them in the jar, add sugar and set them in the shade of the hive while I completed the inspection.  The seminar that was sponsored by OSU said to let them girls sit in the sun to bet a better count.

Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: SkipS on August 19, 2014, 05:57:04 pm
The bees do come out of the jar dazed and confused but it is better for them than doing the ether roll!
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: WillH on September 01, 2014, 08:59:52 pm
I don't understand german language. I used google translate it appears the they are using 50g of bees. How many bees are in 50g?
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 02, 2014, 05:53:27 am
I don't understand german language. I used google translate it appears the they are using 50g of bees. How many bees are in 50g?

 Randy Oliver...........

300 bees or 1/2 a cup

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-11-mite-monitoring-methods/ (http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-11-mite-monitoring-methods/)

   IMHO,.......
  The alcohol wash is the most accurate. I can hear it now you are telling me you're killing bees.
  
   Next time you go to the doctor and get some blood work done tell him you want the blood back after the lab work is done.  :shock:
 
    This is what Michael Bush say about killing Varroa mites  :shock:

 
  http://www.bushfarms.com/beesvarroatreatments.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesvarroatreatments.htm)

                


          BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: WillH on September 02, 2014, 10:13:33 am
I actually use a 1/2 cup per box, so for hives that have 2 boxes I use 1 cup (1/2 cup from each box). I don't agree that alcohol wash is more accurate, in my experience I got better results with sugar shake. (alcohol wash is faster, sugar shake takes time) 

About killing bees, I don't want to kill bees unnecessarily when they can be useful for the hive. For a small hive, like a nuc, 300 nurse bees can be very valuable.

I always record my mite counts as percentages rather than a real count. So I don't have to record how many bees were used.  Any time mite count exceeds 3% I know I have a problem. This year I tested all my hives monthly and the percentages were below 3% until last test on August 26th. I treated all hives that had % over 3. Two hives still have less than 1%. I will be testing them in a week and will treat them only if the count is over 3%.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: edward on September 03, 2014, 08:13:32 am
The amount of bees should represent the size of the hive, also it is important use the same measure of bees each time so you can compair accurately between hives and time.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 03, 2014, 09:36:47 pm
WillH,........

What  percentage is 300 bees to the hive ???

What percentage is 300 bees to the nuc ???

I see you use 600 Bees to hive what is the percentage is that to the population of the colony ???

               BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: WillH on September 04, 2014, 11:19:27 am
300 bees are about 1% of a strong hive at this time (600 would be 2%). That is assuming the population is around 30000 in early September in a populous hive. For a nuc it would be about 2%. The question is 1% or 2% important? It depends. My point is why kill bees if you can achieve the same result without them.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 04, 2014, 05:44:08 pm
At what time of year do you make your nucs ???



             BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)



             
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 04, 2014, 10:46:28 pm
IMHO..
   it sounds like your nucs at 15000 to me that's just a weak hive.I make my winter nukes around the 4th of July with queen cell use the Michael Palmer method.when you make a split that time of with no new brood.It will be about 10 to 14 days before she starts laying again.this will make the mite low drop.no need to do a I might count on this is why African bees can handle mites lots of brood brakes.

     If you do not know what the Michael Palmer method is just google sustainable beekeeping you will find something on YouTube. the nucs only for frames with about 4,000 bees.

Part 1
http://tinyurl.com/o663ctq (http://tinyurl.com/o663ctq)
 
Part 2
http://tinyurl.com/nz8lt7x (http://tinyurl.com/nz8lt7x)






        BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 05, 2014, 12:47:15 am
      You should be doing mite counts the first of August in Northeast the and decide if you are going to treat or treatment you should be all done with treatment by the second week or 3rd week in August. The reason being bees are trying to make winter bees in September you need aboat two rounds of laying 21 days about you don't want sick bees to go into the winter.




                      BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 05, 2014, 11:28:29 am
How to properly do a sugar-roll method. It's okay to believe if these bees come out unscathed or not.
 
http://youtu.be/oFL7zbTHUy8 (http://youtu.be/oFL7zbTHUy8)

Alcohol wash method for phoretic varroa mite sampling

http://youtu.be/yUzsU5trBP4 (http://youtu.be/yUzsU5trBP4)




                      BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: WillH on September 05, 2014, 07:14:40 pm
I started keeping bees in 2010 and in 2011 all my hives except one were wiped out by Varroa as I did not do anything about the mites. Since then I have made dealing with Varroa  the most important part of my keeping bees. I have never lost a hive to mites since 2011.

This year I did my grafting on May 12th and made some nucs with queen cells. All queens hatched and mated well and out of 12 nucs I made I sold 5 and the 7 I kept are now full hives in double deeps. I only over winter in double deeps. I had no success keeping them as nucs through our harsh winters. Last year I had 100% success wintering my colonies despite a very cold winter. I did not buy any packages this spring. ( I canceled the order I had for packages.) I take mite counts all year and act when they go up.
Title: Re: How to count mites the fast way
Post by: Jim134 on September 05, 2014, 07:44:59 pm
    Do you believe your winters as harsh as northern Vermont along the Canadian border where Michael Palmer keep his bees ??? The joke is to find Michael Palmer Bee Yard you go to Canada walk along the border the bees you see in the USA are his.He does have a lot of bee yards less than a mile to Canada

IMHO
This is more reality they a joke.
   The joke is to find Michael Palmer Bee Yard you go to Canada walk along the border the bees you see in the USA are his. He does have a lot of bee yards less than a mile to Canada


   I have seen the snow packed so deep in northern Vermont in March that you cannot find 3 deep hives.You need to shovel down so you can find them



              BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)