A question Randy if I have 3000and up as a commercial operation would
testing every hive visible to identify the high level ones to treat?




I think what he was trying to say was that the cost to do a mite wash and
probably save a treatment makes it possible to check every hive and only
treat bad ones.

IE  if it cost you say .50 to do a mite wash and  3.00 to treat,  you  can
save 2.50 each on hives you don't treat.  That pays for checking 5 more
hives,  reducing your overall output. Of course those you check AND treat,
increase you loss so it sure depends on the numbers. 

For me a mite wash takes about 4 minutes open to close  so I put the cost of
checking a bit higher like more like 3.00 itself.  Where I can treat a hive
in 30 seconds.

As you I questioned that,  its tradeing labor cost for purchased cost.  Part
of it would be that your as proficient and skilled at washes as Randy and
his boys have become.

For me a mite wash takes about 4 minutes open to close  so I put the cost of
checking a bit higher like more like 3.00 itself.  Where I can treat a hive
in 30 seconds.

Not sure that applies to many of us.  The time it takes to do a proper wash
for me is a lot longer than it takes to treat.  Even right now I am doing
meat pads and formic on about 800 hives.  I am quite sure  since we are
feeding anyway,  its faster to throw a pad in each hive 4 times than it is
to do a mite wash.  Were we not running and feeding also that may not be
true.  

Charles

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