I wrote on Bee L I was going to shake from "window bees", bees that came in on the supers and I could gather off the extracting room window the next morning. I am sorry I did not bring the directions with me to the shop but I did the best I could as far as remembering. I gathered up what bees I could catch, came to 63, put them in the alcohol and gave them allot of shaking, poured through a screen into another jar and had five mites. I dumped the bees off the screen back into the capture jar and poured that same alcohol back with them. Shook them allot again let them set a bit and shook some more. Poured through the screen again and got 17 mites. These bees are from an area with only four hives, so they are a "sampling" from those four hives. We took off 10 full supers from the four hives this was all from the fall our summer was horrible here, partly why we are in a mess right now along with other circumstances.

So we have a problem. I am going to get bees from the oldest hive in that area and do another shake for another count so I have the count from one hive. Treat them with what we have, Apistan Strips, and in three weeks shake again. I hope I see something more promising.

 Is there any other thing I can put with the strips to help? I have read about grease patties, which I thought where more for Tracheal Mites but read in the Bee L archives some think they help with varroa too, no EO's or anything just the Crisco and sugar. I also read about cotton string soaked in mineral oil, bees wax and honey, works like fly paper. I know this will not knock out allot of mites and the bees already are going into the winter with a problem but I will put in the effort to get rid of more if I can with any "homemade" treatment or other thing I can use when it is in the 30’s. The temperature seems to be a draw back at this time.

 As I said my friend whose bees I am working with is 90, his bees got into this mess from a death in the family, his son who helped with the bees, and last year he fell out the back of the truck and broke his shoulder and couldn't work with his bees. He had no one to help until I offered, I am trying my best. He has had bees since he was 12 and has had 100's of hives at a time in the past. He says he has had good luck in the past with Apistan but I think his luck has run out with using the strips. Next year we are going to cull drone brood for sure, his hives but he lets me make some choices on management since I am reading, thinking and worrying about keeping them alive. There is something to eating honey, pollen and getting stung because he is healthy, has a good mind and still can pick up a full super with no effort.  The bees have suffered through his hard luck and hopefully they can rebound. The state bee inspector here is great and I know I can call him any time and he will be there, he thinks highly of my friend. I will be calling him next week.

Thank you all,

Karen

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