Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [42]
There are many approved treatments such as medications and supplements as well as natural products in the form of liquids, fumes, and powders available through beekeeping suppliers that can be used to combat mites. These natural products are less offensive to the bees and the environment; I like to call them soft chemicals. Beekeepers can also control mite populations within their hives by working with the biology and behavior of certain pests, using a system that is referred to as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This is a system for identifying and managing pests in an environmentally sensitive way rather than trying to simply eliminate them with toxic methods.
One IMP method you can use to detect mites is a sugar shake. Collect about half a cup of bees—that’s approximately three hundred bees—in a small glass jar. Add two tablespoons of powdered sugar to the jar. Shake the jar around, coating the bees with the sugar. Then shake out the bees onto a sheet of white paper, where you will be able to see the mites. You can then return the bees to the hive. This process does not harm the bees; it only shakes them up a bit, and they will lick themselves clean. You can try using this sugar-shake technique in spring and fall. If you have more than three or four mites in spring or ten to twelve in fall, you should think about treating your hive.
Many beekeepers also opt for a bottom board with a screen. When dead Varroa mites drop off the bees, they fall through the screen onto a piece of sticky white cardboard. The beekeeper can then easily count the mites on the white board to monitor mite levels and determine the threshold levels for treatment. Fifty or more mites means you should probably look into treating your bees.
The drone-trapping method involves placing a frame inside your hive with drone foundation, a sheet of beeswax with larger cells to accommodate the drones. The queen will lay unfertilized eggs inside these larger cells. Since mites prefer the longer incubation period of the drone larvae, they will naturally be drawn to the frame. Once the frame is covered in capped drone brood, the beekeeper removes the frame and freezes it overnight. Unfortunately, this method kills the drones, but it also removes a large proportion of mites.
TRACHEAL MITES: These microscopic parasites (Acarapis woodi) live inside the breathing tubes of queens, workers, and drones alike, and, like Varroa mites, feed on bee blood. Their presence inside the bee causes internal wounds that lead to other infections, makes it difficult for the bee to breathe, and interferes with its ability to fly. Symptoms are K-wing syndrome, where the two wings on one side separate so that they look like shape of the letter K, and bees that do not form a cluster in colder temperatures. Often these symptoms are not easily detectable and there is no sure way to know if your colony is infected, so management is the key. Beekeeping suppliers offer a variety of treatments for tracheal mites. I have heard that some beekeepers in Italy place fresh sprigs of thyme, peppermint, and eucalyptus, herbs known to aid the respiratory system, on top of the frames inside their hives.
Feeding your honeybees grease patties is helpful to control tracheal mites in the colony. You may mix the recipe for grease patties, on the next page, at home for your bees.
NOSEMA DISEASE: This disease, caused by the spore-forming parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, affects bees’ digestive systems. During long periods of cold weather, bees cannot always leave the hive to relieve themselves. When they defecate inside the hive, nosema can spread quickly. Some signs of nosema can be bee feces inside or on the outside walls of the hive. Medication approved for nosema should be given.
WAX MOTH: These female moths (Galleria mellonella)