powdering bees and lots? of mites and SHB

[tlynn]

Hello!

This is my first post (other than the intro).  I want to thank everyone for all the great posts.  I have spent hours going through them and have learned a lot so far.

A bit of background before my question - my wife and I hadn't even considered beekeeping before we heard about CCD and starting reading up on bees a few weeks ago, so we decided to just go for it.  We purchased our hive from the manager of our Dadant dealer 2 weeks ago today, who has his own hive and queen business.  According to our state apiary inspector, who came by last Wednesday they are in fine shape.  They have seemed extremely calm the first three times we have been in them (state inspector, adding a super, and powdering them today) and we frequently sit by the side of the hive and watch them come and go.  They pay absolutely no attention to us.  Only one sting so far, to my wife, and that was after she accidentally crushed a worker under the edge of a frame.  We added the first 6 5/8 super last Thursday and they have drawn out probably 6 frames about 80-90% full.  Right now we have flows from Cabbage Palm and Black Mangrove, both of which are available in large quantities to them.  We live in a fairly dense neighborhood and have a small back yard.  Their flight path goes up and over our house where they seem to keep gaining altitude and fan out and then they come right back the same way and put on the brakes right at the opening.  Amazing!

So we were told we should use a cup of powdered sugar and dust the bees in the brood box periodically, which will kick off a major grooming period and the mites will slip off and fall through the screened bottom.  So we did that today.  I have a video in windows media format 

http://www.purplemangomedia.com/beeDusting.wmv

I felt a little bad watching these poor little white bees flying around but it appeared to have the desired effect because I was really surprised to see what fell through the screen.  We killed 13 hive beetles and there must have been maybe 30-40 Varroa mites, who knows, could have been more.  We both kind of freaked out a bit after we examined the paper.  Do we have a problem here or is this normal in-check levels?  We're not too keen on chemicals and prefer to tackle something naturally if we can at all help it.

Any comments/suggestions would be most welcome!

Thanks!

Tracy

[qa33010]

   Hi Tracy and WELCOME!

     There are folks with more sense here than me since I've only been a beek since ought five. 

     When I powder sugar (if I do it) a hive I do once every seven to ten days and am finished when I hit three applications.  Mainly because that's all I need.  I did powder sugar in 2005 and ought six (I've wanted to be able to say that since I was a kid and listened to WWI vets and folks talk like that) but I haven't done it last year or this year.  What I've learned is called an 'economic threshold' changes from place to place.  I would get with a local club or the inspector or even your local extension office for any information available, whether it's vrbal or a flyer.  Good Luck and again WELCOME!