Varroa mites are out to get the bees in your hive.
A horrible (and relatively new) problem in the apian world, varroa mites can wipe out a hive in one season.
How to Control Varroa Mites
In our new video Tricia shows how to test for varroa mites and combat them. Most bees have no way to combat varroa mites, and that's where you as the beekeeper need to take a hand. Defend your bees through a combination of controls such as good hygiene, monitoring, and -- when necessary -- naturally derived miticides.
With a Mite Observation Board under your Screened Bottom Board, you can get a head count of the mites currently in your hive. If the mites are numerous, use Apiguard® with the active ingredient Thymol (from the herb thyme) which is labeled to control varroa mites.
Natural Methods to Combat Varroa Mites
- Screened Bottom Boards: Allow mites to fall out of the hive instead of staying on the bees.
- Powdered Sugar Dusting: Helps dislodge mites from bees, reducing infestation levels.
- Drone Brood Removal: Since mites prefer drone brood, removing capped drone cells can lower the population.
- Essential Oil Treatments: Oils like thyme, wintergreen, and tea tree can help deter mites.
Expert Advice on Beekeeping
Randy Oliver is a local biologist and beekeeper here in Nevada County. His bee blog, Scientific Beekeeping, is full of buzz for beginners as well as longtime beekeepers. Take advantage of his decades of experience as a teacher and commercial beekeeper.
One article we especially like is aimed at beginners. Randy suggests which of the current debates in beekeeping you can just go ahead and ignore! Then he gives you his basics for keeping healthy bees.
If you have your first colony of bees, you can assume that they have varroa mites. Randy tells you how to evaluate the mite infestation, and suggests mite treatments and how to time them.
Mite Treatment Collection
Please use our resources to help control the nasty varroa mites and keep your beehive a healthy one.
