Testing my bees for MITES that wipe out colonies

Testing my bees for a deadly pest that wipes out colonies. Varroa mites are deadly to bees, and also disgusting! Beekeepers need to test for these pests or their colonies can get viruses and diseases which will kill their bees and ruin all their hard work. Testing for varroa mites can be done in a few ways, but I'll show you how to test with an alcohol wash.
#bees #beekeeping #honey #beekeeper #faewood #homesteading #farm

[@phillipriggs3375]

Scary to think, so many!

[@FaewoodAcres]

Luckily it's only one hive, and it has historically been strong. I treated the hive in an upcoming video.

[@abbyjeydee]

interesting!

[@FaewoodAcres]

I'm constantly fascinated by bees 🐝😁

[@theunlikelybeek]

Great to see your journey, Chris. A small tote or basin works well for shaking the bees into for scooping into the test cup. I've been waiting for cooler temps here in PA, which have finally arrived, so I'll be treating with Formic Pro, and will follow up later in the fall with a few rounds of OXA.

[@FaewoodAcres]

Great idea about the tote! Much better than shaking the way I did I guess 😀
It's too hot here for anything except Apivar, I've been told. I'll be treating these bees in the next video. Or the next-next 😁

[@FaewoodAcres]

I used your suggestion in an upcoming video 😁