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Author Topic: small cell  (Read 11753 times)

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: small cell
« Reply #20 on: April 17, 2007, 11:44:41 pm »
>i'm regressing my bees and they're quite infested with this darn varoa.

You have to get the brood nest to 4.9mm or smaller before you'll see the full effect.  Have you measured any of the comb?  I'd work the larger out as you can.

> i'm gonna sugger them to help 'em

That's a good plan.

> if that won't do, i'll go for harder chemicals, can't help it.

When there is brood in the hive it's difficult to treat them in a way that will make a big impact.  You could cut out all the drone comb which will have the most varroa in it.

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

>anyway what i wanted to know is, how affected can the bees be from my "neighbour" bees?

A lot of mites come in on your bees if they are robbing a hive that is crashing from Varroa.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm#feralbees

See the section on hitchhiking mites.

> everyone around here say that you have to treat your bees this and that way and at the end, everyone add "don't forget to tell your neighbour beek to do the same"

It's a nice idea, but if everyone would quit treating we'd be done with the problem in a year or two.

>so even thou i'll have regressed/small bees can they be overrun by varoa from my neighbour?

Maybe.

> coz i'm really surprised, i did not have almost any varoa last fall, when i treated, at least not many fell off, but now at least one hive is quote infested!

I would take steps soon if you have high varroa counts.

>now tell me all you SC beeks, are you "alone" in that area?

I don't know, but I don't have a Varroa problem.  I just have few Varroa in each hive.  So far the numbers are small enough the inspector hasn't found one yet.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: small cell
« Reply #21 on: April 28, 2007, 02:13:04 am »
Remember that Drones are more Community orientated that hive orientated.  A drone is allowed to entry any hive it comes in contact with.  So, regardless of what measures you take to control varroa the hive will become reinfested after a short time from drone shifting. 
Varroa can be controlled with sugar shakes at specific times with 3-4 treatments in a row about 10 days apart.
I prefer to dust towards the end of the 1st honey flow and then again for the month of September.  This knocks the might level down mid season and again going into the winter, at a time when the bees are killing off the drone population and decreasing the brood production. 
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!