supers are on mite are strong

[RayMarler]

you could maybe do a shook swarm on them. shake all the bees off the frames of brood. Place the shook brood in a different hive that could use a boost that has no or little stores so you can treat it for mites. The shook hive then is broodless, and a couple powder sugar treatments a couple or three days apart should get most of the remaining mites out, and won't contaminate the honey supers.

[beee farmer]

I agree With Ray.. at least inderectly... break their brood cycle is a good option for production.. pull brood and pop in some drone foundation... or pull all the honey off them and treat the brood boxes, you might loose a littel flow. Its your choice at this point, depends on if you want to risk the hive.  You migh make enough off the honey to buy a nuc and start them over in case they dont make it.. all depends on your view of economics -vs- ethics in bee keeping. Either way I wish you the best of luck!

[Brian D. Bray]

I've been sick for the last 2 weeks so I haven't had access to the computer.  Also, on some questions possed, I don't always answer immediately because I want to think about the problem posed and offer the best advise available.  Then when I come back to it later it has already been answered in a similar vain has I was going to and I don't see reasons for repetative entrees.

Now to your question, here's my answer.  The best way to reduce the mite load in a hurry is to induce a brood dearth.  With no brood to reproduce in the mites are soon shed from their temporary host, the worker and drone bee.  The quickest and easiest way to induce a brood dearth is a walk-away split.

I like to inform as to why I make a given recommendation, hope you don't mind, it tends to help the newbees understand the mechanics of beekeeping.

[David LaFerney]

Now to your question, here's my answer.  The best way to reduce the mite load in a hurry is to induce a brood dearth.  With no brood to reproduce in the mites are soon shed from their temporary host, the worker and drone bee.  The quickest and easiest way to induce a brood dearth is a walk-away split.

So if you do a split when the mite load is high, what does that do to the mite count in the hive that gets the old queen?

Sorry to hear you've been sick - I hope you're well now.

[danno]

Thanks Brian
Hope your feeling better.  Your opinion has always been important to me

[Brian D. Bray]

Now to your question, here's my answer.  The best way to reduce the mite load in a hurry is to induce a brood dearth.  With no brood to reproduce in the mites are soon shed from their temporary host, the worker and drone bee.  The quickest and easiest way to induce a brood dearth is a walk-away split.

So if you do a split when the mite load is high, what does that do to the mite count in the hive that gets the old queen?

Sorry to hear you've been sick - I hope you're well now.

Think about the method of a split, the old queen is removed from the hive, along with a few frames of capped brood, and placed in a new hive along with new frames and/or foundation.  The split with the old queen will backfill the drawn combs as the brood hatches, since the older work force is harvesting nectar faster than it can be converted into wax,  reducing the room the queen has to lay eggs, this slows the reproduction rate down to a crawl for several weeks.  During that time the majority of mites will fall off their temporary hosts so that as the brood production is ramped up there is a much small population of mites that can enter the brood cells and reproduce, also, the majority of thos eggs are worker brood reducing the mite reproduction because of the lack of drone comb.
In the old hive, an egg is selected and a new queen is created.  Fom the period of begining the making of a queen until she hatches, mates, and begins laying is more than 30 days, again the majority of the mites have fallen from their temporary ride so there is few to begin their reproduction since the new queen starts slow the brood dearth lasts for over 60 days in the hive with the new queen, and nearly 30 days in the new hive with the old queen.
In the case of the old queen you have a guessimation of over 60% mite reduction, and in the case of the new queen, nearly 90% in mite load reduction.

[David LaFerney]

Now to your question, here's my answer.  The best way to reduce the mite load in a hurry is to induce a brood dearth.  With no brood to reproduce in the mites are soon shed from their temporary host, the worker and drone bee.  The quickest and easiest way to induce a brood dearth is a walk-away split.

So if you do a split when the mite load is high, what does that do to the mite count in the hive that gets the old queen?



Sorry to hear you've been sick - I hope you're well now.

Think about the method of a split, the old queen is removed from the hive, along with a few frames of capped brood, and placed in a new hive along with new frames and/or foundation.  The split with the old queen will backfill the drawn combs as the brood hatches, since the older work force is harvesting nectar faster than it can be converted into wax,  reducing the room the queen has to lay eggs, this slows the reproduction rate down to a crawl for several weeks.  During that time the majority of mites will fall off their temporary hosts so that as the brood production is ramped up there is a much small population of mites that can enter the brood cells and reproduce, also, the majority of thos eggs are worker brood reducing the mite reproduction because of the lack of drone comb.
In the old hive, an egg is selected and a new queen is created.  Fom the period of begining the making of a queen until she hatches, mates, and begins laying is more than 30 days, again the majority of the mites have fallen from their temporary ride so there is few to begin their reproduction since the new queen starts slow the brood dearth lasts for over 60 days in the hive with the new queen, and nearly 30 days in the new hive with the old queen.
In the case of the old queen you have a guessimation of over 60% mite reduction, and in the case of the new queen, nearly 90% in mite load reduction.

It sounds like making splits at strategic times should be the key to managing mites.  That is very helpful information.  Thanks.

[Joelel]

I have a colony that is very strong with 3 supers going well.  Yesterday I found a very high mite load and if I dont jump on them this colony will colapse.   If I pull the supers to treat I fear they will swarm.  Last night I came up with a plan to put a 3rd deep with foundation to give them room and  something to do and start the treatment.  Will this work and does it make sense?  Any comments would be appreciated

 I'm just now getting over to this part of the forum. I would pull the suppers and if i don't have time to work the honey i would freeze it.I would pull about 1 or 2 frames from the body and replace them with empty frames or put a small supper on kept for when treating only and treat..