# Time to check



## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

Time in Michigan to check for Varroa in your hives and to decide what to do.
If you have not done so, now is the time to check for Varroa. The reason for doing this now is their populations are starting to grow at this time to major levels and drone brood is being reduced so the mites will move on to worker bees causing high mite loads on the workers causing the sudden loss of hives in late fall and early winter.
There is no right way to check for varroa so I suggest using several different ways on each hive. Ether roll, Suggar roll. or the Screened bottom board with a sticky board, checkinf after 24 hours and 48 hours.
Then you can decide what to do to try and eliminate them if your hive has a problem with them. FGMO, FGMO/Thymol, sucrocide, or other chemicals including the strips.
Are we having fun yet?
Clint


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

Thanks Clint...... I am going to do a full blown inspection this week and weekend.


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

I'm doing some natural drop counts now. Been doing them off and on all summer. Mite populations seem to have been stable so far...

George-


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I check for mites the same way I have since I first heard of their existence. I look carefully at the bees to see if there are any obvious mites and I open some capped drone brood to see if there are any mites. Many times in the past it has been easy to find mites on bees, presently I have been unable to observe any mites on adult bees. I can find a mite or two on every third or fourth drone pupae I examine.

I've never resorted to more invasive examination techniques or treatments and my bees are still going strong -- 0% loss going on 9 years now. "It just seems wrong to use toxic waste where food for human consumption is being processed." Though I am very fond of my honeybees, I'd rather my bees died than even one human child get ill from eating my tainted hive products. We already have enough undesirable contaminants in our food supply.


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## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

I check weekly using the sticky board drop test for 24 hours and alternate between the sugar roll and the ether roll to check all results.
I chack 3 out of 10 hives and never check the same hivesall the time
Clint


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## pkwilbur (Mar 20, 2004)

Thanks CLint. Nice to follow your forum posts. Helps another Michigander.

I learned the sugar roll at EAS this year. Lots of good people there.

I have although been fogging with Fmgo and thyme oil, and last mite count was average 14 per hundred. A bit high, but will hit them again.

Still learning, so keep up the good posts for Michigan.  
Thanks, Paula


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