This month's ABJ has a top notch article from James Masucci and I hope
everyone will have an opportunity to check it out.  The article is entitled
"Managing Varroa Mites: Lessons Learned from Large Scale Honey Bee Field
Trials" and in my opinion James Masucci completely nails so many important
points that many beekeepers are just not grasping. Most of these listed
below are cut and pasted right from the article:

 

1.	Establishing a mite strategy requires an understanding of the
dynamics of mite populations throughout the year, how they respond to
treatments, and how they affect colony health.

 

2.	Don't let mite levels get too high.  You can never quite recover
from high mite loads. Frequent monitoring is critical.

 

3.	Treatment efficacy is optimal if mite loads are 2% or lower at
beginning of treatment. Colonies treated at 2% lived 280 days, colonies
treated at 6% lived 130 days, untreated colonies lived 85 days.  Highlights
the need for excellent monitoring.

 

4.	Virus levels persist long after mite levels are reduced.

 

5.	Mite effects vary by location and even by colony.  What's happening
in the next town over or even next door may not reflect what is happening in
your bees. Frequent monitoring is critical.

 

6.	Mite treatments don't always work and one bad colony can spoil the
whole yard. Monitoring before and after is critical.

 

7.	A mite management program is critical to maintain healthy hives and
the program needs to be tailored to your locale and to your bees and must
include frequent monitoring.

 

8.	When mite levels get out of control the possibility of spreading
mites is real and miticide efficacy decreases. Frequent monitoring is
critical.

 

If beekeepers could understand and follow these points we could make a real
difference in bee health everywhere.  Thank you Eugene Makovec and James
Masucci!

 

If anyone knows James Masucci I would love to chat with him.  Please pass my
contact info to him.  

Lewis Cauble
Apiary Inspector, Western NC Region.
NCDA&CS
(828) 230 4544
Email:   <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
Web:  <http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/Plant/apiary/index.htm>
http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/Plant/apiary/index.htm 

 

E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North
Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.

 

 


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