# No Mites



## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

I'm thinking powdered sugar works. But I'm a first year beek too.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Broodlessness helps keep mites at bay. In fact it is a manipulation technique sometimes used to help thwart mites. For the mites, No brood, no food - since they feed off the larva. 

I'm in my second year as a beek, and I've learned most my lessons the hard way. The mites WILL visit again. I am told a strong hive can usually last at least 2 years before the mites really have their impact. 

Keep an eye on your counts - especially next summer. 

Powdered sugar does "help," but only with the phoretic mites. 
Good luck!


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Seymore is exactly right... the long bloodless period that you had has stopped the development cycle of the mites.. for now... hopefully when you did get a queen in there, she was one that carried some resistant traits so they can start fresh and keep the mites a bay now that they have a better chance if doing so... but keep an eye on your counts... for a 1st year package to build up to a mite drop average of 10, there is either a serious area threat or your package came with a lot of tag-alongs...

Powdered sugar dusting can help in two ways... one by dislodging mites from the bees that are in the hive.. and two by forcing a short shutdown period for the queen who deems the combs unsuitable for laying until the dust is completely cleaned out... so dusting at certain intervals can keep the queen from laying while the dusting dislodges many of the mites from the bees after they have emerged from the last cycle... however... this period of shutdown can cause supersedures, early/unprepared swarming/absconding, and production losses as it creates a serious stress on the colony... 

Keep an eye on your mite counts, and "when in doubt, find out"... resorting to an ether wash testing method will give you a more accurate assessment... 

Hope this helps.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

"bloodless"? Certainly you guys mean broodless, right?

The Professor,
Were you seeing mites when you applied the powdered sugar? Maybe you didn't have mites, or very many mites, to begin with.

It would be interesting to do a test w/ a sticky board and MAQS or something that would kill adult mites and not cover the board w/ powdered sugar.

When we first used Apistan strips, w/ sticky boards, way back in 1986, I was amazed at how many dead mites were on the sticky board after the strips were in the hive for the amount of time it took 4 guys to install strips in a 40 hive yard. It is said that 90% of the kill occurs in the first 24 hours of a chemical strip treatment.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> "bloodless"? Certainly you guys mean broodless, right?


Autocorrect on the phone - LOL. Good catch!"


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

I had a broodless period before I started feeding I think, and another one at the height of the robbing, (didn't dust for 2 weeks because of stalking robbers) Finally saw brood about 3 or 4 weeks ago. My sticky had plenty of wax crumbs, a few powdered sugar crumbs, a couple of shb, and maybe 2 mites. Will recheck tomorrow morning.

Gypsi


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Seymore said:


> Autocorrect on the phone - LOL. Good catch!"


Well shoot! I guess that is my excuse too! Lol. Not really sure what happened there... I get a lot of typos because I'm using a touch screen phone in the bee yard most of the time, but I'm usually able to catch the big ones... can't tell you how many times I have had to correct boob for brood, thong for thing, etc... its agitating somewhat, but hey its a whole lot better than writing letters! Lol.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

A poor carpenter always blames his tools. Garbage in, garbage out.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

But, but, but,... ah forget it.... lol.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> A poor carpenter always blames his tools. Garbage in, garbage out.


Mark, don't take yourself too seriously. May come back and sting you!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Yeah, that's one of my faults. That I can't laugh at myself very well. I could use a good stinging every now and then.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Yeah, that's one of my fault*s*.


I'm SO glad to hear you have more than one!


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Maybe half a mite shell on the sticky. One fly, one bee that got in their somewhere, they are still cleaning up the powdered sugar from some comb, bits of that and wax. But I think I do not have to treat. Which is good, working too much to pay proper attention. (my cell used to just log me out of bee source and take me back to menu, so I don't post much with it. Or my brood would be blood too, I fear. Enabled cookies, life got better, thinking about disabling the autocorrect word guesser.)

Gypsi


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## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

I've installed two packages end of April and they still have no mites. Ok, my property is isolated and the nearest possible hive location is 5 miles away. This means they have no contact with other hives. We are also in the mountains where the climate is different. Very dry, with cold nights. We do not have ticks or fleas out here either. It's nice to be mite free, but it is only a question of when. Eventually I will have them. Now the town 20 miles away does have mites, but they are at a lower elevation and there are several beeks. This is rural living here, and all the beeks know each other. It is not a big issue there either, and hopguard seems to work well there. The climate makes it difficult with some of the treatments, due to 30-50 degree temperature changes during the day. We can have 85 during the day and frost during the night. Wild climate with AC on during the day, and heater on during the night. I manage another 6 hives at a much lower elevation and they are also mite free. Again a dry climate with cold night, and no fleas or ticks present. I think there is a connection to the fleas and ticks. Our humidity is only 20% and I think that effect the fleas and ticks. Just an interesting observation I have made.


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

I completed my first round of mite counts today. I normally just do a drop count first and do a ether roll if I get some large drop numbers. I am heavly worried after my counts today (24 hr drop). These counts are at my home yard (mutts, russell carn/skc, aand Miksa -karn). The counts range from 19 to 306. Not good. I haven't treated in years, but this years counts are off the charts. Am I missing something. All drugged up with a head cold.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Sounds like you have a buildup in your area. Remember that the first and most important step in getting mites under control is getting rid of them initially, so that genetics, manipulations and practices can keep them at bay... no combination of these efforts will prevail against an infestation, but they can prevail against incoming mites, so long as they are not brought into the area in large numbers...

First identify the way that the mites reach your apiary... there is an area of contamination in which the mites can travel from one colony to another... the size of these areas is dependant upon how far away the colonies within the area are scattered and the boundaries usually fall along the nearest area that is void of bees... so identifying these areas, while difficult, is necessary... then get your hives mite free and develop a strategy for ridding the colonies within the perimeter of mites immediately before winter and once again the following spring... this will give your hives a fresh start and allow the genetics, manipulations, and practices to be effective at keeping mites from taking back over and building up again...

The heavy brood rearing cycle of this time of year can make you counts skyrocket as well. 

For a soft method of treatment, a Spring and Fall Syrup can prove effective at killing the mites that are in the open brood eliminating a large portion of the mites that would have taken a toll on the colonies over winter and built up the populations in spring... this method can also treat the ferals and other bee keepers hives as well...


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

Robert,

Thanks for the guidance. The strange thing is one hive has a count of 300+ and the hive directly beside it is in the 20's. I cleaned off the plastic sheets and put them back the highest count colonies. I would do some rolls, but I am wiped out with this head cold.

All my hives are elevated. I even have my grandfathers trick on one stand. Placing the legs of the stand in pails of water. I haven't put any syrup on these hives yet. Did the tea tree thing last year. I will go with the red thyme and oregano. Dang that stuffs high. I need to dig up the mix for five gallons.


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

Ok I re-read your post. Drug fog. I was placing some queens for a disabled bee keeper on friday. He has about 20 hives. He mentioned someone moved in 80 hives from south ga down the road from me. I haven't dug into it yet. This is my highest mite counts ever. I don't like it. I know I need to address it asap. Hopefully the soft syrup treatment will work. The last thing I want is some harsh insecticides in my colonies.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Bingo. There is your culprit. 80 hives is a lot to try to feed eos to in open feeding, and although most would be happy about getting the free feeding, some would get ugly about it if your intentions were known. But you may be able to locate the guy and ask him to work with you by letting you know when he is coming and going and maybe even do what I have done in the past and offer to administer the treatments if he will purchase them, that way, he is more apt to getting them treated as soon as he returns each season...

If all else fails, you could just set out about 4 drums of Spring and Fall syrup and let them take it in... if he is a horses rear about it, we could set up about 500 hungry AMM nucs in the area and offer them free sky masks. ;-) jk.


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Hope you feel better soon! Just getting over it myself... seems like the "Crud" us going around early this year...


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

Are you going to start the soft treatment right away? I understand now they would just store a good portion of the EO's.


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

I will dig into it. If the guy told me right the 80 yard stand is about two miles from me. I have another bee keeper about 1.5 miles on the other side. I'm pretty sure he pours on the chemicals. I will do some riding around tomorrow.

So if I understand correctly the girls are forging on the samethings now and this allowsmites to spread from bee to bee. If so....I might have to lay the law down. With the influx of mites coming in the genetics of the hive can't fight off the infestation?


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

Guy,

Yes sir. I will start soon. I have to dig up the oregano and red thyme recipe. I think it was two full droppers of red thyme and three full droppers of oregano per five gallons. I also thought about soaking cardboard in the mix and placing it in the broad chamber. I am concerned because my breeder hive is super high.


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

Thanks Robert. The older I get the harder it is on me. I guess I just need to toughen up


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

I think we should just become migrating bee keepers... as in migrate ourselves to the other side of the world to avoid winter time.  even though I went down a few times from the heat this year, its the winter that always gets me... dad was the same way... every winter, we stay sick...


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

The Spring and Fall syrup mixture is 2 ml (2 full standard droppers) of red thyme oil and 2 ml of Oil of Oregano... I have started offering easy mixing kits on my website for 5gal and 55gal... the oils that I am formulating are the strongest available (highest percentage of carvacrol)...


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

What is an amm nuc?


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## rrussell6870 (May 14, 2009)

Mean mothers. Lol. Apis Mellifera Mellifera aka German, French, English, Spanish black bees... extremely aggressive robbers and very protective of their nests... by nuc, I just meant 5 frame nucs... one AMM nuc can take down several strong hives when they are hungry...


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

Thanks Robert,
Yeah the boss lady says I need to slow down. She says my body needs a break.

I will start the syrup today. I did notice your eo kits on your website. The price looks good. What do think about dusting with powder sugar? To me, it helps break thee brood cycle.

What are acceptable mite levels to you?


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

rrussell6870 said:


> Apis Mellifera Mellifera aka German, French, English, Spanish black bees... extremely aggressive robbers and very protective of their nests... by nuc, I just meant 5 frame nucs... one AMM nuc can take down several strong hives when they are hungry...


That would explain the coloration of some of my robber bees. Thank you.

Gypsi


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## guyross (Feb 18, 2011)

I think it is from them going in the honey cells some many times there hair is removed. I'm a new beekeeper so keep that in mind.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

ginn68 said:


> Did the tea tree thing last year. I will go with the red thyme and oregano.


 Ginn, do you mind explaining what these are?


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

No problem Seymore,

2 ml of pure oregano oil
2 ml of red thyme oil

This is per 5 gallons of syrup.

What are your mite counts?


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Thanks mucho, Ginn. What about the tea tree oil? I've often wondered about that. 

One hive has very few mites - maybe 20 on the whole tray. The other has LOTS. I might guess a couple hundred. At least a hundred. That is on my strong hive. Worried it won't stay that way. Going to treat again this week/end with HG I think. Ugh.


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## ginn68 (Apr 14, 2010)

No problemo
4 ml of tea tree
1/3 cup of lemon grass (cover agent)

Per 5 gallon


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