Hello All

What has been up to now a theoretical exercise has become a reality. Last
Saturday 11th August I selected two hives in the apiary in Dublin 14 to
check for varroa. I inserted two Bayvarol strips into each hive (neither
hive had supers on at this stage), and inserted paper inserts - computer
listing paper - into the varroa floor of each hive. Two days later I
returned and examined the paper inserts both visually and with a magnifying
glass, and I saw three mites on each insert. I got independent verification
from a beekeeper friend to be sure that I was in fact seeing varroa.

There are another 15 hives in this apiary. I must presume that varroa has
struck every hive. I will check all of the hives as soon as the honey is
taken off. But presumably the infestation in some hives will be greater than
in others. And indeed some hives may show no varroa on the inserts - but
does this mean that they do not have varroa or merely that no varroa were
killed by the Bayvarol?. Should I treat only those hives with major
infestations (and with a lot of brood), and not treat those with light
infestations or no apparent infestations? And what constitutes a major
infestation and what constitutes a light infestation? I would imagine that a
three mite drop is a light infestation.

So many questions arise when you are actually looking at the mite!

Any comments appreciated.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
Dublin
Ireland