On 13 Oct 99, at 6:51, Richard Drutchas wrote:
> David, just to clear up the facts, are the bees from the mating nucs
> coming from apistan treated hives.
I welcome the opportunity to explain our methods of making baby
nucs, even without control nucs there are some interesting points
worth considering.
As some of you know we had to leave the Apistan in over the winter.
(Please, don't pick that up and start explaining what a naughty boy I
am, it's been thrashed to death!) so the bees were treated quite late
with Apistan. This was removed early (here that's end of March) and
we started making up nucs in mid May. Prior to that we had been using
essential oils in sugar syrup, as previously discussed, and when
natural nectar was available we transfered to FGMO as a treatment.
Incidently that's written up on our web page if you want the full
story.
We make up baby nucs when needed by visiting a variety of hives and
shaking bees, preferably young bees off brood frames, into a box
after spraying them with sugar syrup with vanilla. These bees are
then scooped up with a boat bailer, and a good handfull are dumped
into a baby nuc. We have dozens of baby nucs, and the same method is
used on all of them. Made up mid May and then stripped of bees mid to
late Sept. Would it be possible for the syrup to have knocked off the
mites?
A few weeks later I noticed signs of Varroa in the roof of some
cells, so I do know that early on we had some mites in them.
Logically it would be impossible to get mite free baby nucs, and
ultimately the usual population increase, as each one had lots of
brood all summer long.
As previously stated, on stripping them of bees we could find no
signs of Varroa.
Comments?
*****************************************
The Bee Works, 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2,
Orillia, Ontario, Canada.L3V 6H1.
Phone (705)326 7171 Fax (705)325 3461
David Eyre,
e-mail<[log in to unmask]>
http://www.beeworks.com
This months special:-Vest/veil combination
****************************************
|
