Powdered sugar dusting

**chris** · 10-10-2012, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by gavin

One factor worth bringing out is that the effective times were broodless periods. For example, it was partially effective with a January treatment, and the effect that was still observable in October.

I'd be reluctant to use a disruptive treatment in the depths of winter.

IF it is effective on the emerged bees, why not use it in conjuncion with a treatment that diminishes the mites in the capped cells, such as wintergreen (I think that's the translation of gaulthérie). This apparently masks the *signal* given by a larva when it is ready for its cell to be capped, and hence the female mite is not attracted to the cell. This could then be carried out during the spring build up, and/or after the honey harvest.

**Don Ember** · 10-10-2012, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by madasafish

There is a poster on the BBKA forum who swears by sugar dusting. He claims it is very effective.

But then he does it DAILY..

!

His bees must be stressed out :-)

May I suggest that those interested in my approach should visit the BBKA forum and read for themselves (most recently in the Deformed Wing Virus thread, but elsewhere too), so that they can consider precisely what I do. 'DAILY' dusting is something I rarely need to do; this is necessary only in the case of heavy infestation. I should be unhappy to think that readers and posters here should be worried that my bees are stressed out.

**Neils** · 10-10-2012, 02:39 PM

Please feel free to link to the relevant discussion or quote the salient parts there if you like, might make life easier for those head scratching as to what's going on/been suggested.

**Don Ember** · 10-10-2012, 02:44 PM

Hello, again, Neil.
Here you go: http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?t=5987

**Neils** · 10-10-2012, 03:11 PM

Thanks Don. Makes things a lot clearer at this end

.

**prakel** · 12-10-2012, 01:06 PM

Ok, so having been away for a couple of weeks again I'm coming late to this discussion.

I've never used or even considered using the powdered sugar method -just doesn't appeal to me, so I don't really know what I'm talking about (which perhaps goes for a lot of things) but there is, either on the internet or maybe in an old ABJ a throw-away quote from Sue Cobey where she mentions that in her oppinion the only time sugar dusting has any real effect (this from my memory) is when it's been warmed/heated which she goes on to say is totally impractical in most apiaries. This makes some sense to me as a non user but I've never actually come across any other references to such usage.

Anyone here have thoughts on this?

I can try to source that quote if anyone's interested but I don't believe that it was in specific context to the rest of the article.

**Neils** · 12-10-2012, 01:35 PM

What's the purpose in heating the sugar?

**prakel** · 12-10-2012, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Nellie

What's the purpose in heating the sugar?

I imagine that it's to make it 'sticky' which would increase the need to groom; obviously drifting away from the pure idea of sugar dusting. But I can't claim to really know!

**Ruary** · 13-10-2012, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by prakel

there is, either on the internet or maybe in an old ABJ a throw-away quote from Sue Cobey where she mentions that in her oppinion the only time sugar dusting has any real effect (this from my memory) is when it's been warmed/heated
I can try to source that quote if anyone's interested but I don't believe that it was in specific context to the rest of the article.

Yes please, lets have the source.

I can see that warming the sugar might tend to prevent clumping.