Varroa mite Control Frames//Ingenious Varroa Control//Kill Varroa mite in your hive//Collect beeswax
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 เม.ย. 2023
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Varroa mites are the scourge of beekeepers but it doesn't have to be that way. I use to employ only one control method for battling mites. Here is one of the most effective ones that I now use, using what I call Varroa Control Frames. This process results in WAY less varroa mites AND collecting more valuable Beeswax.
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I REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA, NO CHEMICALS, I WILL DEFINATELY USE IT.
Awesome!🐝🐝
This is a fantastic chemical free method to help control mites. We have just been invaded in Australia (the last country to get the mite). Our industry has been desimated as they tried to slow the spread with eradication of hives in the affected area. This failed and now the authorities have moved to a management phase. They are not sure what that means and any way to help control is a bonus. Thanks for the tip and I will be using it once I detect veroa. Cheers Steve DOWN UNDER AUSSIE BEEKEEPER.
Hey Steve, this is the first I ever heard about mites in Australia! I’m glad you’ve found a way to combat the little buggers!🐝🐝 So great to hear from a fellow beekeeper from Australia!!
Great idea sir , thanks for sharing your knowledge!
After hearing about the mites going more for drones I purchased two of the green frames to put in and plan on rotating them out.
Nice! It feels good physically removing mites from your colonies. 🐝
What a cool idea. As for the ethical concern I would think:
A. the drone larvae could be fed to birds or other animals
B. Recovered beeswax can be used to coat new foundations, helps bees
C. Mite reduction is good for the whole colony, helps bees
It's a win win win. Thanks for another good video!
Hey Michael, I really appreciate and agree with your positive outlook on this. I hadn’t considered something eating the larvae but it’s true!
@@jonathanhargus6284 This might sound gross to some but I have heard drone larvae can be cooked and taste like shrimp,
Great idea, i like any idea to help control mites!
I completely agree!🐝
I like the idea and I may give it a try next year. Besides, you lose 300 bees every time you do a mite test so I'm good with it.
That is an interesting idea. 🤔
I think so too. Thanks for your feedback 🐝
@jonathanhargus6284 I saw that super used in a deep box on another channel he said he did that to encourage drone brood since he only used worker foundation. I think. I liked the idea of extra comb for wax since I would like to wax my own frames one day 😃. Hopefully I will not have to deal so drastically with varroa mites but if I do I will remember the Hive Dr's prescription. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom. Thank you
I’m going to try this, makes such good sense, I don’t like putting the green drone frame me in there freezer.
Sweet! I especially like it when I have been too busy to use my vaporizer. 🐝🐝
I’m totally doing this.
Hey Half Ass Hunting Club…sweet!!🐝🤣
Just to let you know mites don’t go into brood until just before it’s capped. Also as long as there are live drones running around in your hive most mites are on those drones
Thanks, I know 😁
Doc, I think yours is a great idea and I'll raise you one: In your video you demo'd 2 medium frames, one was capped one was not for the drone cells. I'm just wondering if instead of scraping the uncapped frame we instead we treat with Oxalic Acid Vapors after shaking the bees off. Put the frame in a spare deep box with other similar frames we find. That way the drones would hatch and survive to do what bees need them to do. I'm a backyard beekeeper with a small number of hives. -paul
Hey Paul, that is a very interesting idea that would be the best of both worlds 🤔. As long as the drone brood remains warm enough to stay alive then it should work!🐝
@@jonathanhargus6284
Right on Jonathan. It since dawns on me we could just OAV the entire box with the uncapped drowns. Then everyone stays warm.
Paul
I'm a very new (2 months) beekeeper in SC and enjoy your content. I have 2 hives with double deeps. Should the medium frames be put in each deep or just one? Thanks
Hey Yvonne! Welcome to beekeeping! That’s a great question. I think that as long as you’re diligent in checking the Varroa control frames during each hive inspection, that you only need to use two medium frames per colony rather than four. 🐝🐝
Isn't the benefit of using the green drone frames that the workers don't have to keep drawing out more comb? You may not get to harvest it, but the bees also don't have to continually build up the comb.
Yes you’re correct. However cost wise, since I run a lot of hives and have very little freezer space then the green frame are a bit more involved for me.
Yes.
There was a study conducted in juen and july of 2020 where it was discovered that varroa prefer not only drone comb but drone bees. it is the kicking of the drones from the hive at the summer dearth arrives that leads to the migration of the parasite to the worker bees.
Wow, those things are too smart! I didn’t realize they transferred like that. 🐝
@@jonathanhargus6284 Most people don't that's what's wrong with traditional wisdom.
Sorry if I missed it in the vid, but how often do you take the drone cone off the frame. I just started with one hive this year and I'm trying to keep it simple as I can Your methods seem to be very straight forward and easy to understand. So I will be doing this in my hive for sure.
Yeah of course! So I check the frames every inspection. I scrape them when they’re mostly drawn out and laid with brood. 🐝🍯
@@thehivedoctor13 Thank you. I'm going to do this in my hive.
Why is the comb drone comb? Is it because it's not pre-made to a smaller size?
Hey Cooper, yes…drone comb cells are slightly larger than worker cells to accommodate the drones big-boy size😅🐝
Two questions: Do you leave these medium frames in all the time? And if you only run one large brood box is it still a viable option and would you use 1 or 2 medium frames?
Hey Dim1953, I do keep two medium frames in my deep brood boxes at all times. Each inspection I check to see if they have redrawn the drone comb off the bottom bars. 🐝
How many production hives do you run?
Is your doctorate in entomology ?
Are you a certified Master beekeeper?
Some good ideas.
Great questions! It looks like you're looking for some credentials to back up what I'm saying. ;) No problem! When I first moved to this area to keep bees, I joined the local beekeeping club to learn what blooms and when. I met a man who introduce himself as a Master Beekeeper. My first thought was, "wow! this guy must have a lot of hives." So I asked him how many he has. His response was, "Oh, I don't have any beehives, I'm a pool man." Turns out that he completed a Master Beekeeping program at the local college and was awarded the corresponding certificate. What does it take to be a Master Beekeeper? A College certificate? I apprenticed under a beekeeping mentor for 15 years and have been in beekeeping for over 23 years, yet I don't believe that I will ever "Master" beekeeping. I hope there is always more to learn. Thanks for your questions and input, I really like this kind of engagement.
To answer your question about my production: I used to run 200-300 hives commercially but that was a bit much for what I want. So now that I'm in North Georgia, my goal is to maintain around 70 hives with a 75-85% production.
I will be adding this method to my boxes. You mentioned other Varroa control methods that you use. What are those methods?
Hey, that’s awesome! So here’s all of the methods that I currently use:
- Oxalic acid vaporizer
- Screened bottom boards for mite drop
- Varroa control frames
- Dried Wormwood spread over the top bars. Mites don’t like it
@@thehivedoctor13 Where do you get the dried Wormwood spread?
@mindylabean8363 I get these dried pucks from amazon. They’re good quality. I take one and divide it between two colonies, breaking it into pieces.
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@mindylabean8363 amzn.to/4c4NKag
@thehivedoctor13 Thank you for the information. I recently came across your channel. I am very drawn to your content because your beekeeping philosophy seems so practical. Also, I like the title of your book, "The Intuitive Beekeeper ". The word 'Intuitive' caught my attention immediately. It makes me want to read the book...hopefully to learn how to be an intuitive beekeeper. That sounds like an interesting journey. 🙂
How do you not get stung and no protective clothing? What’s your secret?
Haha, no secret. I do get stung, just not very often. 😉🐝
How many times do you do this?
I would check the frames during every hive inspection but only scrape the comb off when built out and laid with brood.
A like this. I am tempted to stick the drone comb in an incubator and let them emerge, then by hand release the healthy drones and kill the varroa infested drones. Lot of work but I only have a few hives...
An interesting concept 🤔🐝
@@thehivedoctor13 Not sure if it will even work, but since the drones cannot survive long without being fed by nursebees is could be a bit of fun with little risk of mites getting back to the hives.
I thought of using a green drone frame. I would take it and freeze it to kill mites and drones.
Hey! Go for it! Especially if you have few hives. 🐝
kill the little bugers any way you can. The new research sugests that most varroa stay on adult drones, thereby not harming the worker bees. When the workers finaly kick them out, the workers get badly impackted and hence the crash at the end of the year. At least it is a major contrebuting factor. So might be good to get the drones treated just before that happens.That way queens can mate.
I like that idea🐝🐝
So killing bees before they hatch is okay but not after they hatch. Because in another video you tell people to stop doing mite washes but here it’s okay to scrape the brood off and kill bees. Make it make sense.
Hey Andrew. Honestly, I'm not sure what you're talking about. I've never referred to alcohol washes before. As far as scraping bees, you're probably referring to when I scrape drone cells off of my mite control frames to remove varroa from the hive. If so, then yes, I can see the apparent contradiction of killing bees one way but not another. There's definitely more to it. I admit that when it comes to killing drones vs. worker bees in a wash, it's easier for me to do. Perhaps I should reevaluate my position on that. Thanks
Seems to me you've wasted thousands of hours of work that your bees did to create that comb. Just put in a frame of green drone comb that you can reuse.
Hi Mitchell, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. That’s a great idea but more practical for hobby beekeepers with fewer beehives to maintain; but not my operation. I can assure you that no beeswax goes to waste here 😉🐝
Nothing wrong with your method at all
@aaronparis4714 Thanks man🐝
hi, why do you fight Varroa mites? Bees have to do that work. I never treated my black bees against mites, now for 20 years. At the beginning I had big problems but now Varroa is no problem at all with 100 hives on 4,9mm cell size. english-resistantbees-es
Can I have your secret?
Hey! So the majority of beekeepers don’t run 4.9 bees. Varroa is more prolific in 5.4 bees. Plus, I’ve not treated before and mites devastated my hives. If you found a solution, keep going with it for sure!🐝