Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/
I have Minnesota Hygienic queens and I can always tell when I have a brood hatch. The number of mites increase dramatically on my sticky board made from corroplast with the bees killing mites as the brood hatches.
That does not make sense to me: the queen lays eggs every day, so brood emerges every day. So should the Varroa load. It should not appear in waves, so one should not observe sudden mass kills...unless perhaps you got a big whack of new Varroa in a confined time frame ie. from a collapsing nearby hive.
Hi from Florida. I didn't know varroa were a problem that far north! They're always around down here and they've developed some resistance to controls. This year I did splits using queen cells that by happenstance were VSH queens. Don't know if my will hold up but so far mite levels in those hives have remained very low.
Hi Andrew Yes mites are a scourge in most of the world. I guess we are lucky in that we have a break in brood production in the winter so mite populations are usually only high in late summer and fall ( if our controls are working). Good luck with your VSH bees. Good to hear you are keeping and eye on mite levels.
Sticky boards are great! Thanks for the video. Could you please talk about treatment. Would you suggest formicpro stripes? If yes, could you explain why some bees died and others don’t with this treatment and the risk of a queen dying.
Hi Ela I agree about the sticky boards - that's our go to method. I think formic pro is a good product but it can only be used in the conditions described on the label. Young bees and open brood are susceptible to damage from the acid.
Do you have a video about when should I treat ( treatment schedule recommendations)for mites after we do the count with the sticky paper? I am following you guys and have a varroa count of 1.5/ day and it is April 20th 2020. Thank you
Hi, I really like your non invasive monitoring via the sticky board. I did it with both my colonies and the results were nil so far. How often would you recommend doing it? I used to do the powder sugar roll monthly. I appreciate all your helpful videos! Thank you!
Hi Niki You are welcome. Nice to hear you've found our videos helpful. I'd suggest you monitor spring, mid summer, and early fall. That's what is best here but it may be different where you are.
Do ants eat Crisco? Do you think a wire landing board would help bees defend from beetles? (I'm thinking the SHB can't hover to enter and would fall through a wire landing board, but bees loaded with nectar could land and get in.) I made a ant proof metal stand from trampoline parts on my channel...I'm learning!
Great to hear you and enjoying learning. Me too! I don't know about the screen for beetle control. I've been fortunate enough to not have to deal with them yet. Ants in our area aren't much of a problem but I've seen how useful ant stands can be in tropical climates.
Glad you like the shirts! We sell a few but haven't got into shipping them. Shipping in Canada is ok but it gets too time consuming and expensive to export. If you come to Apimondia in Montreal this September we'll have some there!
Hi Kris We use a variety of treatment materilas and methods. So far we haven't done a video onn that topic as we don't want to give bad advice for people in different locations.
Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/
This is exactly what I was thinking these past days eg making a screened bottom or a solid board, hands up to you for the videos keep them coming
Thanks again Ianov!
Another option is what I use which is petroleum jelly Kind regards UK Clive 🐝
Sounds like a good option Clive in UK. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
I mix 1/3 baby oil and 2/3 vaseline, mix in old paint can. no heating required.
Sounds like that would work well. Thanks for sharing your recipe Burton Bees.
Think about using parchment paper instead of a folder. You can buy a large roll of parchment paper and make the size you want
That's a good thought. Thanks.
I have Minnesota Hygienic queens and I can always tell when I have a brood hatch. The number of mites increase dramatically on my sticky board made from corroplast with the bees killing mites as the brood hatches.
That's neat that you can see that. It is interesting to monitor. Something else to observe.
That does not make sense to me: the queen lays eggs every day, so brood emerges every day. So should the Varroa load. It should not appear in waves, so one should not observe sudden mass kills...unless perhaps you got a big whack of new Varroa in a confined time frame ie. from a collapsing nearby hive.
Very helpful video. I'm curious why your bottom boards don't have a landing board like most US beekeepers do. Your videos are terrific to watch!
Hi Jim
We sure appreciate your kind comments. Please see our video 'Our Equipment' for more on our bottom boards.
😍😍😍 love you guys 👍👍👍
We appreciate all your kind thoughts!
What is an acceptable mites/day ratio? How do you decide when to treat or not?
Hi from Florida. I didn't know varroa were a problem that far north! They're always around down here and they've developed some resistance to controls. This year I did splits using queen cells that by happenstance were VSH queens. Don't know if my will hold up but so far mite levels in those hives have remained very low.
Hi Andrew
Yes mites are a scourge in most of the world. I guess we are lucky in that we have a break in brood production in the winter so mite populations are usually only high in late summer and fall ( if our controls are working). Good luck with your VSH bees. Good to hear you are keeping and eye on mite levels.
You don't use bottom screens in the winter do you?
Yes they stay on the colonies all year but are closed up so there isn't too much extra ventilation.
Is their a daily mite drop rate that you watch for that triggers treatment
I like to treat every month there in Florida with O/A vapor.It seems to work for me and the bees stay strong.
Oxalic acid can work well for sure but I can't make any comments about what works well in locations other than here in Ontario. Thanks Steve.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Thank you Sir.Hope ya have a great season.
"You can use a pot, we just use the simplest thing possible."
*using laboratory hot plate stirrer*
great video!
Thanks!
Sticky boards are great! Thanks for the video. Could you please talk about treatment. Would you suggest formicpro stripes? If yes, could you explain why some bees died and others don’t with this treatment and the risk of a queen dying.
Hi Ela
I agree about the sticky boards - that's our go to method.
I think formic pro is a good product but it can only be used in the conditions described on the label. Young bees and open brood are susceptible to damage from the acid.
What kind of honeybees do you show in your videos they are gentle?
Do you have a video about when should I treat ( treatment schedule recommendations)for mites after we do the count with the sticky paper? I am following you guys and have a varroa count of 1.5/ day and it is April 20th 2020. Thank you
Is there an acceptable nbr of mites and if so what is the nbr- or do you treat each yr regardless? Thanks
Hi Stealth Mtn. Melanie mentions the treatment thresholds recommendations for Ontario Canada in the video on alcohol wash.
In the alcohol wash video they suggest the threshold count in spring is 9 mites dropped per day, and in fall, 12 per day.
Have you ever used “Pam” spray for your sticky boards?
Hi, I really like your non invasive monitoring via the sticky board. I did it with both my colonies and the results were nil so far. How often would you recommend doing it? I used to do the powder sugar roll monthly. I appreciate all your helpful videos! Thank you!
Hi Niki
You are welcome. Nice to hear you've found our videos helpful. I'd suggest you monitor spring, mid summer, and early fall. That's what is best here but it may be different where you are.
What is an acceptable amount of mites per day?
Do you have a scale in mind for critical levels? How bad is one per day vs three per day, for example?
Hi Stephen
Please see our video 'Varroa- Alcohol Wash' for comments about thresholds. Thanks.
But what are the acceptable levels?
What are your threshold numbers ???
Great.
Thanks François.
Could I leave the screen bottom open at night in Summer for ventilation?
Do ants eat Crisco?
Do you think a wire landing board would help bees defend from beetles? (I'm thinking the SHB can't hover to enter and would fall through a wire landing board, but bees loaded with nectar could land and get in.)
I made a ant proof metal stand from trampoline parts on my channel...I'm learning!
Great to hear you and enjoying learning. Me too!
I don't know about the screen for beetle control. I've been fortunate enough to not have to deal with them yet. Ants in our area aren't much of a problem but I've seen how useful ant stands can be in tropical climates.
I live n Spain and vegetable shortening is hard to come by. Would pork lard be ok?
It might be ok. Maybe animals would want to eat your coated papers through
Ok, thanks much. @@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre
Do you monitor all your hives with sticky boards or do you have a few per yard to get a sample?
We monitor all our hives but it's partly for our research goals. Something like 10% is more practical for beekeepers with many hives.
For non Canadians what is Chrisco? The coating.
Hi Buzz
Crisco is a brand name of vegetable shortening.
Please tell me there is a way I can purchase one of those epic UoG t-shirts! :)
Glad you like the shirts! We sell a few but haven't got into shipping them. Shipping in Canada is ok but it gets too time consuming and expensive to export. If you come to Apimondia in Montreal this September we'll have some there!
Why not use the sugar test method?
It looks cheaper
It doesn't work as well. Less reliable results.
What is your method of treating?
Hi Kris
We use a variety of treatment materilas and methods. So far we haven't done a video onn that topic as we don't want to give bad advice for people in different locations.
off topic, but both women are left handed..
Hi Old Dave
You are right! A few years ago all 5 women working on our team were left handed!!! Half and half now.
У нас мужики работают а женщины комментируют , там наоборот 🤗