Checking for Varroa Mites
So As Spring is a approaching I want to keep my bees healthy going into the nectar flow season. So I want to treat for varroa, if needed, before they start making honey. Most treatments say to give them a couple weeks after treatment before putting on honey supers. I use Apivar and you need to put it in for at least 42 days, so I wanted to put them in by end of February. For a complete guide on honey bee health go to the Honey Bee Health Coalition web site at https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/
They have a guide you can download that is the best. I use the powder sugar method to check for varroa. You take a 1/2 cup of bees which equals about 300 bees and you put them in a jar with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Shake them for a minute then shake it all out on to a plate. Then spray the plate with water to dissolve the sure and count the mites. You want a mite count of at or below 3% which would be 3 mites per 300 bees. I only found 2 but treated anyway. See the mites below.
When doing the varroa check be sure not to get your queen in the check jar. You don't want to hurt her. I had not seen my queen since last year. I don't believe you need to see her every time. I always look for signs of her like eggs and brood. But I did see her on this day as she was laying in the upper frames.
They have a guide you can download that is the best. I use the powder sugar method to check for varroa. You take a 1/2 cup of bees which equals about 300 bees and you put them in a jar with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Shake them for a minute then shake it all out on to a plate. Then spray the plate with water to dissolve the sure and count the mites. You want a mite count of at or below 3% which would be 3 mites per 300 bees. I only found 2 but treated anyway. See the mites below.
When doing the varroa check be sure not to get your queen in the check jar. You don't want to hurt her. I had not seen my queen since last year. I don't believe you need to see her every time. I always look for signs of her like eggs and brood. But I did see her on this day as she was laying in the upper frames.
