Interesting conversation. Two thoughts:

a) re: advising new beeks; in my experience (12 years) they either get into it or do not. Beeks who don't test are less likely to carry out a responsible treatment regimen, even if prophylactically. Those that are responsible will do both. This is readily apparent in hands-on classes: those that are into it are drawn in, while those that are afraid will predictably neglect their bees. I've given up on classroom teaching in favor of field sessions only, in order to redirect those whose interest is ultimately limited.

b) re: treatment protocol, via testing I find as others do (especially in bee-dense areas), that even with treatments in late summer (and sometimes spring), varroa counts spike in October, as my bees find other colonies to rob out. My solution, suggested by an article by Bradley Hopkins at WSU, is to sequester my queens to make the colony broodless in the late summer. When I do this, I not only get a 97%+ efficacy on mite treatment (a single OA drip, which harms no brood because there is no brood), I create a break for the queen, and create an impossible environment for mites at the exact time when those mite bombs elsewhere are going off. I sequester the queen in August (for either 2 or 3 weeks, in a special cage that lets worker bees in and out), letting her out by about Labor Day. (Timing and treatments need to be tracked exactly.) In my climate (Maritime Pacific NW), this schedule allows warm enough weather to get good (sometimes excellent) batches of completely virus-free brood for winter. The downsides: approx 10% of the queens fail, which is not really a downside because having clarified these weak colonies, I can combine them pre-winter and avoid time and expense down the line. Also, the clusters (being healthy), go through winter extremely populous and hungry... also not exactly a downside. The real upside is super-healthy colonies and excellent honey production the following year.

Yes, it's time consuming (two years ago I sequestered most of 150 colonies; though I've thankfully downsized since). I don't know that this would be feasible for larger operations.

To return to the original post and conversation: it is something a hobbyist can handle. I made this protocol part of my teaching and many of the students embraced it, including counting mites pre- and post. I have faith that the more the students engage in thoughtful hands-on practice, the better beekeepers they will be.


Bob Redmond, Proprietor
Survivor Bee, LLC [formerly Urban Bee Co]
Burien, WA

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206-786-5715


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