Bee gym

[gavin]

It seems that the Bee Gym encourages grooming in general.

Many thanks for commenting here Stuart - and thanks to Steven for pointing this out. Tomorrow I should be able to recover my Bee Craft!

I've often wondered what triggers those grooming sessions and whether we can do anything to encourage them. Sometimes many bees take part.

One talk I sometimes give to local associations is on bees developing resistance to Varroa. It is probably outdated now as things have moved on and there are folk apparently with resistant bees in the UK (we've mentioned Welsh ones here recently). Anyway, this is one video used in that talk. Some of the (allo or self) grooming is a joy to see. The one I can't get enough of is the bee which is trying to wipe off a Braula (there are also bees tackling Varroa in the video) and which at 4 min 17 secs finally catches it and stands on three legs whilst using the other three to shift the Braula to the mouthparts.



And if you're thinking that they can't get the more streamlined Varroa, watch the one in the first half of the 7th minute!

[snimmo243]

I ordered my bee gym today http://www.beegym.co.uk/shop.html

[Rosco]

I've often wondered what triggers those grooming sessions and whether we can do anything to encourage them.

I have read (or more likely heard at a talk) that dusting with icing sugar encourages grooming.

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[snimmo243]

Hi Rosco, I tend do that in the summer alongside drone brood removal
Steven

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[snimmo243]

I placed my Bee gyms today when I get time later I will post my varroa counts and update them as I go for anyone that is interested. Due to the cold weather we didn't follow the advice of lifting the front of the brood box off the floor then inserting the gym, instead we placed two wooden skewers into the entrance, say the gym on these then slid it along them into the brood box then removed the skewers once in position

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[snimmo243]

Here is a spreadsheet of my mite counts

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...rive_web#gid=0

[snimmo243]

Just a wee update on the beegym! So far I haven't seen any increase in mite drop, I took the varroa trays out a couple of weeks ago so have stopped counting for now. on the last two or three counts I noticed a lot of pollen on the screen of one of the hives, I suspected that as this was directly below where the gym was that it may be the cause, when I removed the gym it was heavily stained with pollen. Cause? or Coincidence? During the spring build up I didn't want to lose valuable pollen so have left it out of that hive.

Steven

[Stuart2]

Hi Steven,

Thanks for the update.
I have had feedback this season from other beekeepers all recording large increases in mite drop, since they added the Bee Gym. One of them placed the Gym in the back corner of the floor and had a clear pattern of living mites on the board below the position of the Gym. I think it is important to use Vaseline on the bottom board or the wind blows them away and the live mites can walk away.

It's interesting that you have seen a lot of pollen coming through. Is the Bee Gym in the centre of the floor? Could I suggest that you move it further towards the back of the hive.

Stuart

[snimmo243]

Hi Stuart
I used the Vaseline following your previous advice. The beegym is in the middle, I will put it on the back at my next inspection and see how it goes, I will also move the other one further back. There may have been an issue with clearance in the hive with lots of pollen in that it was a top Bee space with no runners meaning the frames were sitting lower than they should, this has now been resolved
Steven

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[Stuart2]

Hi Steven,
I just took a look at your spreadsheet, your mite drop is low considering where it was in March. What size is the colony now?
Stuart