Or all our Api-Bioxal (ahem!) has become inactive ...
I checked again today and still see v. few mites. Ants aren't taking them as I've got some of Pete Little's excellent floors with tight-fitting Varroa inspection trays. I might pop some Apivar in one to see if anything appears over the next 4-6 weeks.
I seem to have less varroa this year too; Drone uncapping has revealed almost none. There have been suggestions that varroa have lost their potency (especially as they breed with their own siblings so there is little genetic diversity). However I wouldn't rely on that as being gospel. I think this year I certainly witnessed a long cold spell from the 'Beast' and then a poor March where there was little pollen and little brooding. So maybe the varroa just fell off!
They've done perfectly well with little genetic diversity so far!
If it was the "Beast from the East" and a rubbish March reducing early season mite numbers it could suggest there are other strategies that could be used to control Varroa.
Mixed results : one with lots (100+) in a week, others with minimal (10-50). Apiguard mainly gone after 9 days treatments - 2nd due next week..
Half my hives have solid insulated floors so no monitoring..
I have some VERY big colonies with a super of honey for winter they appear to be dropping most (what a surprise!).
True - but I am reporting what I have read (somewhere) which might have been someone else's mad ramblings rather than science!Originally Posted by fatshark
Some comment that a brood break (swarming) helps bees rid themselves of (reduce levels of) varroa. If bees tend to remove some of the varroa whilst there are no broodcells to hide in, then mite numbers may come down to safer levels.
What we need is an artificial brood pheromone in a bottle that can be used to attract all the varroa to it; then take the bottle away. No need to kill the mites. Simples!
Swarming undoubtedly helps get rid of mites. The swarm leaves with about 25-30% of the entire mite population (which is perhaps surprising when you consider that most people quote ~10% of mites are phoretic ... I suspect this reflects the reduced laying rate of the queen leading up to swarming. Someone smarter than me could model this.). The remaining 75% in the original colony will get increasingly exposed as sealed brood levels decrease (and therefore increasingly removed you'd hope).
Randy Oliver has a great quote about colony splits and Varroa ... Take home message: early splitting knocks the snot out of mite levels.
All my colonies were split this year. Most were either reunited after requeening or used for nuc production. I've been toying with the maths of mid-season treatment on temporarily queenless colonies with the intention of testing things next season.
A nice presentation on brood attractant pheromones ...
https://www.alfredstate.edu/files/do...rk-Carroll.pdf
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