Check out this quick video on how we treat the hives for varroa mites without the use of chemicals. Varroa mites can wreak havoc in beehives over the winter and if they are able to establish a foothold in the hive, are much harder to get rid of in the spring. A good powdered sugar treatment in the fall can mean less varroa and healthier bees to outlast the winter snows.
Our local bee inspector recommends taking each frame out one by one and holding it horizontally to dust the bees, otherwise she says a lot of the sugar tends to fall straight to the bottom of the hive. Bear in mind that this treatment only affects the mites on the adult bees, whereas a natural thymol based treatment like Apiguard (http://www.vita-europe.com/products/apiguard/) will affect mites in brood cells.
We have done it both ways before and when we sprinkled the powdered sugar right on each frame, the bees became VERY aggressive. Some other beekeepers suggested sprinkling across the tops of the frames, so we’ll see how many mites end up on the board. We are also planning on trying Apiguard this year. There are so few beekeeping stores here in the US that everything has to be ordered online or over the phone. It makes it difficult to get just what you want, right when you need it. Thanks for the insight!
I’m lucky as my bees are unusually gentle. They produce hardly any honey, but put up with almost anything. Your ladies are ungrateful for not liking sugar! Best of luck with your future treatments.
Thanks! And good luck to you as well
Very interesting. I’d like to raise bees someday.
I won’t say it’s easy, but if you make yourself informed, it isn’t hard to do.