Author Topic: Hive three has mites (Read 4941 times)

tom · « **on:** October 01, 2006, 09:26:48 pm »

Hello

Well it is confirmed hive three has mites but it is not as bad but still i want to treat them maybe thats why they have not built up any. But they are not dragging out alot of young bees only a few. So i did a sugar roll today i sprinkle sugar all over top of the brood area and they were not to happy about it but the hive was full of white bees and i did hive two also. I do not have any screened bottom boards so what do i have to do when i do the sugar thing. I also mixed some powdered garlic in it and you talking about the bees that came out of the hive to clean off and they were fanning the sugar and garlic out of the hive i am going to do it again soon but they are working darn good all of my hives they all are fanning like crazy and the air is full of the smell butterscotch and garlic.

Tom

Michael Bush · « **Reply #1 on:** October 02, 2006, 07:35:50 am »

> Well it is confirmed hive three has mites but it is not as bad

All hives in the US have mites.

Finsky · « **Reply #2 on:** October 02, 2006, 09:19:24 am »

Quote from: tom

I also mixed some powdered garlic in it

Where you got that idea? From vampire killer?

tom · « **Reply #3 on:** October 02, 2006, 10:09:52 am »

Hello

Well Finsky i was looking aroung and i was asking about oils and if you go to where i posted about Honey-B-Healthy the websitee is there and you will see for your self. To me everyone has thier own way of doing things just like people said that mixing vanilla extract with sugar syrup for queen introduction would not work and i have requeened two hive using it. So far the bees do not mind it and it seems to be doing well so far as long as it does not harm my bees in any way i will do what i can the save them. I do not like chemicals and i perfer doing it organic so if you or anyone else has something i can try i am always open for good sound advice.

Tom

Finsky · « **Reply #4 on:** October 02, 2006, 10:45:22 am »

Tom,your explanation is quite awfull! :shock:

Many thinks that garlic frightens moles, but even that is not true.

I think that varroa is serious matter and at least I go on official way. I do not take any own risks. (after these years).

.

Kathyp · « **Reply #5 on:** October 02, 2006, 01:16:29 pm »

finsky,

do you have much of a mite problem where you are? how do you treat over there? how often do you treat? do you think the prevalence of mites is impacted at all by the weather?

Finsky · « **Reply #6 on:** October 02, 2006, 01:28:52 pm »

Quote from: kathyp

finsky,

do you have much of a mite problem where you are? how do you treat over there? how often do you treat? do you think the prevalence of mites is impacted at all by the weather?

Mite arrived to Finland 30 years ago. Now it is under control and we may say that it is not problem any more. Beekeepers are very satisfied.

I killed my first hive for varroa in the year 1982.
2003 I noticed that I have Apistan resitant mite stock. After that I have give only trickling when brood have emerged.

http://bees.freesuperhost.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136436349

http://bees.freesuperhost.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136437131
.

Dick Allen · « **Reply #7 on:** October 02, 2006, 01:44:22 pm »

I am certainly not saying that garlic works as a miticide, but I have talked to a (very) few people who seemed quite credible to me that they did have better results when adding garlic to their powdered sugar instead of just using plain powdered sugar. I have not used it so cannot say. There are a lot of "treatments" out there for mites. Some do work; some are just plain nonsense. If it has not been tried how can it be said with certainty that it doesn't work?

Herbert Spencer wrote:

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation."

Finsky · « **Reply #8 on:** October 02, 2006, 01:54:17 pm »

Russians have all kinds of natural stuff in varroa control. They have modern systems too.

But still I say that it is very expencive to hobbiest to try all tricks what some one tells.

Kathyp · « **Reply #9 on:** October 02, 2006, 03:03:52 pm »

Quote

http://bees.freesuperhost.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136436349

http://bees.freesuperhost.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1136437131

thanks, it helps to have some results that can be quantified to some extent. saves fussing around trying this and that.

i don't suppose you know of any controlled or field studies with small cell? :D

Finsky · « **Reply #10 on:** October 02, 2006, 03:22:08 pm »

Quote from: kathyp

i don't suppose you know of any controlled or field studies with small cell? :D

I have seen 2 research reports from Sweden and New Zeland and they tell that small cell does not help against varroa.

I believe that there are bee stocks which are able to resist varroa. Small cell does not work alone. First you need a bee stock which identify mite as enemy.

Kathyp · « **Reply #11 on:** October 02, 2006, 04:46:37 pm »

the place from which i ordered my bees, chose to go with Russians. they are supposed to be resistant to mites, varroa and tracheal. they are also supposed to winter better.

my varroa mite problem seems to be minimal. 4 or 5 a day found during treatment.

no one around here is using small cell. 2 reasons given: 1. no proof that it is effective, and 2. unnaturally reducing cell size seen as unhealthy for bee development.

after getting into hive and finding it to be very clean and healthy, i have decided to skip fall oxytetracycline treatment. will consider doing it in spring.

Finsky · « **Reply #12 on:** October 02, 2006, 05:22:34 pm »

Quote from: kathyp

the place from which i ordered my bees, chose to go with Russians. they are supposed to be resistant to mites, varroa and tracheal. they are also supposed to winter better.

Here is a reseach about Russian bees made by Dutch year 2001-2002.

http://www.mamamoer.nl/ddb/blz/rapportprimoengels2002.pdf

"All the pure and the F1 Primorsky populations have not been treated against Varroa for two years and there has never been a special method of handling brood (for instance removing drone brood).The Varroa mite reproduce itself exponentially.

The first year we did not meet problems, so the problems arose on the second year after the last treatment against the Varroa mite.
We found that the brood pulling behaviour of the population is the main reason of surviving the Varroa mites. Not all Primorsky populations can withstand the mite, we lost half of the populations.
"

.

tom · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2006, 09:08:41 pm »

Hello Finsky

Since you said my explanation was awful then here is the site you can go to and see for yourself. I saw it and i decided to give it a try and this morning my bees seem to have been rubbing it all on themselves and they don't have a problem with it. I understand that people are always trying new things and some work and some don't but it was worth a try just to see maybe it might would effect the mite some way. And the garlic that was wet my bees was walking thru it and rubbing it on and i did not see any bees on the ground to day. So maybe it works and maybe it don't but if it does work then it could be something we all can use. So here is the website that was given to me and you will see it for yourself i do not doubt what you say but i know what i saw and tried it so you can type this in and see.

http://rnoel.50megs.com/

Tom

Kathyp · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2006, 09:11:39 pm »

Quote

Here is a reseach about Russian bees made by Dutch year 2001-2002.

http://www.mamamoer.nl/ddb/blz/rapportprimoengels2002.pdf

thanks for that. some i have found to be true for my hive this year. i will save this info and see how it compares next year.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #15 on:** October 02, 2006, 11:14:47 pm »

I know of no long term study of small cell. I know of no study that even bothered to regress the bees to do the study. I know of a lot of small cell beekeepers who have kept bees without treatments five years and more.

As far as garlic, I can only surmise that IF the garlic helps, it's probably because it triggers more grooming (because of the smell) than powdered sugar along triggers.

I don't think I'd want the garlic flavored honey. :)

Finsky · « **Reply #16 on:** October 03, 2006, 12:41:37 am »

Quote from: tom

http://rnoel.50megs.com/

Tom

Thanks Tom. It really comes from University. Never heard before. There are tens of odor methods to cause mites to drop from bees.

You may do them all of course if you like them.

But you should notice that this is only method to notice the mite. It does not kill any mites yet.

Zoot · « **Reply #17 on:** October 03, 2006, 12:57:35 am »

According to the people over in Beltsville (they come to our meetings frequently) there have been no official studies done on small cell. They do concede that there is a lot of favorable anecdotal evidence (as there is with a few other techniques) but right now the serious research into mite control is focused on attempts to breed resistance into various stocks. Limited (and always dwindling) funds are part of the reason for this - unfortunately there simply isn't enough money to research every promising avenue.

tom · « **Reply #18 on:** October 03, 2006, 01:02:44 am »

Hello

Mr.Finsky thank you and the others that are here on this forum for all of your help and insight on the matters at hand with beekeeping. I know it is just a method and i am going to treat my hives thats whats coming next i do not have a screen bottom board but thats something else that will be added to my bee yard. What other method can you give me on treating mites i see some people say winter green oil mixed with canola oil is good and i hear api-life var is also good could you point me in the right direction on what can be used to help in this war with the mites.

Tom

Finsky · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2006, 07:03:39 am »

Tom, if you play with all those mite calculations you may disturb severely hives' peace. Those all trick are not necessary what you do. Many seems to love more mites than bees but varroa is not worth of it.