How do you use varroa flooring?
The method of using the Varroa Floor is to reverse the original floorboard and place the Varroa Floor on top. The bees then fly from the new entrance, see Fig. 2. The old entrance, which is now at the rear of the hive, is used to accommodate the drawer which can be pulled out without disturbing the bees.
How do you do a varroa count?
When you want to take a mite count, slide the sticky board underneath the screened bottom board. Leave it for three days, then pull it back out and get counting. Divide your total by three to get an average daily mite drop number.
What size entrance do bees prefer?
WHAT THE BEES WANT. A well-read beekeeper named Tom Seeley discovered that the ideal entrance size preferred by wild honey bees is between 10 and 15 square centimeters. He wrote all about it in this book called Honey Bee Democracy, which is a must read for beekeepers. That is between 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 square inches.
Do varroa mites prefer drone brood?
They prefer to lay eggs in drone brood because they can raise more mites per cell than they can in worker brood.
How many times a year can you treat varroa?
To help treat any varroa infestations, treatment can be carried out three times per year. Do not treat during honey flow or when supers are on the hive. Generally, it’s best practice not to treat your bees unless you are certain there may be a varroa problem.
How many varroa mites is too many?
It would also seem that Varroa are transmitting more virulent strains of viruses with each passing year. Because of this, I recommend to keep mite levels below 1 mite/ 100 bees in the spring and below 3 mites/100 bees in the fall. With Varroa loads any higher, beekeepers risk high colony losses.
Should you paint the inside of a beehive?
Paint the outside and leave the inside where the bees live unpainted. While it is not necessary to paint your hive and some people choose not to do it at all, painting a hive will help it stand up to the elements and last longer. Paint helps protect wooden hive parts from the rain, snow, sun and other weather elements.
Why are my bees only using the top entrance?
The reason they are using the top entrance is because that’s where the cluster is at. I wouldn’t break any boxes apart just yet. Their still talking about snow flakes later this week. Your job now is to make sure they have something left to feed on.
Should I remove drone brood?
It is important that the drone brood is removed on time, before the drones hatch at the end of their 24 day development period, or you will be increasing the rate of mite population growth!
How often should you cull your frames?
After a period of time, 5 years, the chemical traces now become a toxic environment within the hive. A good rule is to begin replacing frames and foundation at year 4 and only replace half of the frames.