Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Sat, 27 Jul 2013 09:41:10 -0600 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
> I am starting to do alcohol washes in preparation for late summer
> treatment. I washed 3 bee yards today and saw a good bit of variability
> with numbers ranging from 0 to 10. The good news is I did not see any
> really high numbers.
What do you have for comparison? If you have last year's numbers, and
your survival was good -- or poor -- that might be a clue. Also
benchmarks may be available for your locale.
A lot depends on how well the washes were done. I've seen a factor of
ten difference between two samples taken in the same hive, one on a
patch of actual brood just ready to seal, located in the bottom brood
box, and a sample taken on what looked like a reasonable patch of brood
comb in the upper box right above that spot, maybe ten inches away.
At this time in the north, brood rearing is at its maximum, so most of
the mites would not show up in an alcohol wash. Moreover drone rearing
is peaking and there will be an explosion in mite numbers as the drones
emerge.
A lot can happen between now and the end of summer.
I do not know your region, but up here I would be expecting trouble by
September.
As for treating one or all, that depends on your hive numbers and
ability or willingness to manage detail and re-test.
If using formic, a round of the whole yard would be a good idea as it
gets the tracheal mites too, and testing for tracheal is too fiddly for
most beekeepers, but they are there with some probability. I seem to
recall you use the Amrine board? If so, that is an easy treatment and
not too hard on the bees from what I have heard.
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
|
|