>From: Michael Moroney <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Re: Varroa control
>
>>Does anyone know of any control, other than Appistan strips,
>>for the Varroa mite.
>
>I've seen special plastic(?) brood combs for sale.  The bottom of each
>cell is larger than the top, so the bees supply the larva with more royal
>jelly.  This causes the larva to develop faster, so the mite doesn't get
>a chance to develop itself before the bee emerges.
>
>Anyone know if these work?  Do bees accept the comb readily?  If this works
>it does have the advantage of not being a chemical treatment and no real
>maintenence is needed beyond the normal work.
>
>-Mike
>
 
I have no personal experience with these combs, but have heard them discussed
at meetings of my beekeeper's association.
 
I'm not sure how well they work, but I have heard that they are relatively
expensive - probably tollerable for a hobby beekeeper with a hive or two,
but prohibitively expensive for someone with many hives (remember - 20 of
these combs are needed for each hive assuming two deeps per hive). At about $3
dollars each, the cost adds up very quickly.
 
I've also heard that the bees prefer natural (wax) comb, so you have to give
them only the plastic combs - if you give them wax up top and plastic down
below (where they normally would raise brood), I have heard that they just
"move upstairs" to avoid the plastic.  They seem to accept the plastic
OK when they are not given a choice.  I don't know about supering, but I would
suspect that once they have established a band of honey above the brood that
is an inch or two wide, that will act as a queen excluder, and the queen
will continue to lay in the plastic comb, with the workers filling regular
supers with honey as usual.
 
Rick Hough, Hamilton, MA USA
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