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Date: | Mon, 25 Apr 1994 16:22:00 -0700 |
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For discussion
1 when do varroa mites enter cells (they don't enter bees)
The varroa handbook p 9 says
Young varroa mites remain on adult bees for 5 to 13 days before
entering brood cells.
or
44 % of young mites enter brood cells within 6 days
69 % 12 days
90 %... 24 days
The mites enter worker cells between the 7 th and 8 th day
or drone cells between the 8 th and 9 th day.
2 the best single treatment for varroa
(consider that some of the varroa problem is the complexity of variable
conditions of climate, bee colonies, bee keeping areas, etc, which makes
a simple answer to this simple question, inadequate)
something that kills all the varroa on the adult bees in a beekeeping
area, when there is no bee brood where the mites can be protected. The
something might be the bees' behavior, a chemical, or a physical
treatment.
Of the options available, Apistan strips in fall when brood rearing is
minimal, may fit what you'd like as a good treatment.
3. what happens to the mites as the bee colony dies
The details are speculation, but as a bee colony approaches a minimal
size, bees from it may abandon and go to other colonies, carrying mites.
Bees from other colonies may rob the honey stored in the
now-poorly-protected hive, and carry mites back to their hives. The last
remaining bees (newly emerging workers, queen) would have lots of varroa
released as workers emerge.
I've seen some strange results this spring, as hives aquire thousands of
varroa from somewhere (much beyond the reproductive capacity of those
mites which were there last fall).
Kerry Clark, Apiculture Specialist
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture
1201 103 Ave
Dawson Creek B.C.
V1G 4J2 CANADA Tel (604) 784-2225 fax (604) 784-2299
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