# Is anyone using heat to treat hives for varroa ?



## Maryland Beekeeper (Nov 1, 2012)

would be interested to hear about your equipment and methods


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

In answer to the question in your thread title, the answer is almost nobody.

And there is a reason for that even though the idea is several years old.

The theory behind the idea is that research has shown that bee brood can live through higher temperatures than varroa mites can. So, brood can be removed from a hive, put in an oven, and if heated up to exactly the right temperature for exactly the right amount of time, the varroa mites die but the brood mostly does not.

Like all internet fads, the idea was first discussed enthusiastically with several people claiming they had built custom incubators to do the job. But the time and work involved in treating a hive ensured it never became popular. There is also the issue that the 20 or so percent of mites that are on the adult bees do not get killed, meaning the mite population can quickly build again once the brood is returned to the hive.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Or, you can heat the bees after brood rearing has ceased for the year. I believe there is a Russian device that heats the bees as they tumble in a screen cylinder. A Vermont beekeeper built a copy a number of years ago, but I haven't heard from him in a long time.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Probably works well on the carni bees. They like those tumble type rides 

Jean-Marc


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## kramerbryan (Oct 30, 2013)

Just shake them into the dryer on permanent press for 15 minutes. Come out mite and wrinkle free.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Or you can heat up the oa powder using my homemade oav gadget under
the hive. This is the closest form of a heat source that I have found to be working
in controlling the mites. Using heat alone is too time consuming to raise the hive to
a right temperature.


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