Greetings Varroa Crushers!
I hope you are having a great spring. These are the very best days of beekeeping, but they go fast. Enjoy the abundant resources, the pleasant disposition of your bees, and the steady growth of your colonies.
During times of such joy it’s difficult to think of such downers at the Varroa mite. However, even the most glorious, productive colonies have these pests lurking about. Remember: they reproduce in honey bee brood…if your colony is producing a lot of brood, it is also producing a lot of mites!!! Have you been keeping up with your regular sampling?
After 16 years of watching the dynamic between Varroa and treatment schedules, I am convinced that JUNE is a critical period for treatment. Treating now will keep your mite levels low(ish) over the summer. This will make your post-harvest treatment even more effective because it is far easier to keep low mite levels low, rather than trying to bring a high mite level down. Formic Pro is an excellent option if your local forecast allows for it. Why? Several reasons:
Don’t delay! Do a mite check. Treat if your mite levels are above 1-2%. Your persistence will pay off!
I’d like to leave you with a mention of a paper that investigated the beekeepers’ adherence to Varroa treatment schedules (see attached). Please at least read the abstract…here’s the first, most important sentence: “Adherence to treatment regimes is a key predictor of prognostic outcomes…”. This is exactly why I am reminding you each month to stick to your plan. Don’t let up!
Remember, take a pic of what you do for Varroa management each month. Submit the photos at the end of the year for our ultimate Varroa Crusher Championship.
As always, we are here to help. We can talk through your sample results, we can discuss options, whatever. Let’s do everything we can to ensure 100% survival in Tillamook County!