Author Topic: Mites  (Read 6062 times)

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Offline Les

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Mites
« on: December 03, 2015, 08:50:01 am »
When I lost the queen in my second hive late in the season, I had to do a newspaper combine.  Since I already had two deep brood boxes on the queen right hive, I did not want to add the two deeps from the queenless hive to the top of the queen right hive.  I sorted through and picked out the frames that had the most honey and pollen and combined that into one deep.  As a result, this meant losing some brood (she was a spotty layer so there wasn't much to lose).  I put these frames in the freezer and subsequently forgot about them.  I sent Ken down to the freezer to pull out the turkey and he shouted up to me, "you know you have frames in here?".  I told him to pull them out and set them aside.  The next day or so I had a chance to look at them.  Felt bad because there were emerging bees but got curious and started pulling out larva.  Low and behold, there were dead varroa mites stuck to some of them.  Killing them did not make me feel bad but even after three treatments of oxalic acid, goes to show those stinkers can still hang in there and hide in the capped brood.

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Mites
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2015, 07:03:10 pm »
Yes, Les.  The directions for OA vapor or drip says to apply when broodless.  The OA won't penetrate cappings.

Offline riverbee

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Re: Mites
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2015, 11:43:14 pm »
les, what bakers said...............and no treatment for mites penetrates capped brood. 

lol, i quite frequently hear from mine about how much 'stuff' (bee related) i have stashed in the freezer............. :laugh
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Mites
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2015, 02:57:45 am »
lol, i quite frequently hear from mine about how much 'stuff' (bee related) i have stashed in the freezer............. :laugh

Ohhh!  To have a second freezer.  One for me, one for the bee related stuff.   ;D

Offline Les

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Re: Mites
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2015, 11:38:16 am »
Baker, I did three treatments one week apart so I could get the larva before the cells were capped.

Offline tedh

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Re: Mites
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2015, 07:05:34 pm »
I've been treating with oav also, not recently, but when I do treat, oav is what I use. The schedule I use is : first treatment is day zero, second treatment is day seven, skip treatment on day fourteen, third treatment is day twenty-one.  Apparently this schedule takes into account and "covers"  brood in all stages.  When I put on my math thinking cap and draw some number lines (thank you Mrs. Crowder!) it does make sense.  Mainly though, I follow that schedule because that's what LazyBkpr does.  Ted
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Offline Perry

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Re: Mites
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2015, 07:52:21 pm »
Mainly because that's what LazyBkpr does.  Ted
OK Ted, I want you to really think about that there!
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Offline iddee

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Re: Mites
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2015, 08:34:42 pm »
I know two fellows that better NOT be treating a certain strain of bees they both have.................. >:(
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline tedh

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Re: Mites
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2015, 09:13:04 pm »
Funny you should mention that Iddee.  I was thinking, while writing the above post, that if all goes well, I'll be getting rid of the vaporizer next year.  Maybe do a KARMA thing.  Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but Josh requeened one of the hives at his house with eggs from our Wayne's hive!  Two down, eight more to go!   Ted
Share that which you have an abundance of.  In doing so both the giver and receiver are enriched.

Offline Ray4852

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Re: Mites
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2015, 10:56:44 am »
Les

did you check your mite load after 3 treatments. My experience working with this stuff, I still have to treat till I see no mites on my sticky board.  what works best for me, I treat every 4 days for a 30 period. This will clean out the mite population about 98 percent, Its almost impossible to get rid of them 100 percent.  Treat again this week coming up for 2 days. You will knock more mites out of the hive.
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Mites
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2015, 09:00:34 am »
I've been treating with oav also, not recently, but when I do treat, oav is what I use. The schedule I use is : first treatment is day zero, second treatment is day seven, skip treatment on day fourteen, third treatment is day twenty-one.  Apparently this schedule takes into account and "covers"  brood in all stages.  When I put on my math thinking cap and draw some number lines (thank you Mrs. Crowder!) it does make sense.  Mainly though, I follow that schedule because that's what LazyBkpr does.  Ted

After seeing this, I'm cautious about using math.


Greg Whitehead
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Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline tedh

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Re: Mites
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2015, 12:19:03 pm »
Ahhhhhh hahahahaha!!!!
Share that which you have an abundance of.  In doing so both the giver and receiver are enriched.

Offline neillsayers

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Re: Mites
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2015, 10:45:26 pm »
JUST SAY NO!!!!!!!
Neill Sayers
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