# "Sugar roll" test for mites



## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Saw this on youtube and I thought I would get your input.


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## WilliamsHoneyBees (Feb 17, 2010)

A really great video and a good way to quickly check hives for mites.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

A more accurate method than sticky sheet/mite drops. 
I do sugar shakes as well. I like using plastic jars. I have a habit of breaking the glass ones. 
Good video.


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Try the shake and then pour alcohol over the bees in the jar killing them and count how many mites you missed. I found sugar shake missed mites but maybe it misses consistently?


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Mbeck said:


> I found sugar shake missed mites but maybe it misses consistently?


No doubt in my mind but that an alcohol/ether roll is more accurate than a sugar shake.....any of which are more accurate than a sticky sheet. 
I feel like the sugar shake is adequate for my needs though.


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

The process on the video is basically how I do mine. Although, I do shake harder than he did and my bees seemed to be no worse for the wear than those. I also got more of the sugar out of the jar than he did. Although, he may have seen enough mites to realize he was ocer the threshold and stopped shaking.

This procedure is designed to get a population estimate to make treatment decisions. Counting every last mite is not as important as getting consitent results with each sample.

Tom


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I like it. It's important to do it over a period of time, measuring the difference in the counts and I'd put that veil on. Someday, he won't forget to do that!


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

That's how I normally check too. But, spraying the sugar with water to melt it is a new trick for me I like it.


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## CLICKBANGBANG (Feb 3, 2013)

How often will you guys do a sugar shake test?


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

Once a month is normally enough. You need to do it enough to get a good baseline then you can monitor the trend. Up or down. It is also a good idea to do counts before and after any kind of mite treatment to make sure your treatment worked. A lot of treatments are temperature dependent so doing a count after lets you know that the treatment worked like it was supposed to.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Enjoyed it! Have one small correction, though. He mentioned using Domino sugar, saying it had no cornstarch and that the cheap brands do have cornstarch and should be avoided. I have a box of Domino's sitting in my kitchen pantry and that label says it does, indeed, have cornstarch. It is a simple thing to dump a cup of sugar in your blender and make your own powdered sugar--and that way you KNOW there is no cornstarch in it.

Other than that, I found the video very straightforward and easy-to-follow and really helpful.

Rusty


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Just my opinion, but I've never found an issue using powdered sugar with cornstarch in it. Perhaps in great quantities but sometimes I think that we over worry about things. It's a sugar roll. In the sugar and out with a handful of bees. Even sugar treatments, which I do fairly often, don't get much consideration as far as cornstarch is concerned. I bet I lose more bees during a quick and unexpected downpour than I do after a season of treating with store bought confectioners sugar (where a season of treatment MIGHT be 6 times at most).

Just my .02 cents!


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## Wisnewbee (Apr 8, 2011)

While the corn starch in powdered confectioners sugar doesn't hurt the bees, making your own from regular granulated sugar was found to be more effective. In the range of around 10% more effective. This information is available on Randy Oliver's site, "Scientific Beekeeping". A researcher used a small coffee grinder to make hi own powdered sugar and compared it to commercial confectioners sugar containing corn starch. Pure sugar was more effective. It should also be noted that humidity also plays a roll in how effective and accurate the test is. The higher the humidity, the less effective the test.

Wisnewbee


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