We are getting incredible results using powder sugar this spring on the
varroa mites. Pour 1/2-pound powder sugar on the top frames of your
top super. You do not have to dismantle your hives. Use your bee
brush to work it between the frames. If the sugar is lumpy, shift it
first. Your bees will turn into little ghost bees. Even bees flying
in will pick up the sugar. We have been doing it in the early evenings
when most of the bees are back. We made screen boxes with removable
sub-boards that act as bottom boards (they should be on the market
soon). Any way you can get screens on your hives, to monitor or a trap
mite is important regardless of what method you use. We remove, clean
and replace the boards after one hour and then remove them again after
24 hours. The mite fall is incredible. Example: On our most infested
hive, we were getting a daily mite fall of 50 per 24hours. That is a
hive that is reaching its economic tolerance of mites. If you see bees
with deformed wings, it is also time. We were smoking the bees with
pipe tobacco and dried grapefruit leaves and that doubled the mite drop
and we thought we were doing pretty well. Then we tried the sugar.
Over 1000 mites. I actually counted 1400 after 24 hours, but that
didn't include the massive amount that I didn't even try to count that
came down with the first amount of sugar we threw out.
Most mites are desiccant sensitive and will die immediately, but we
are scrapping our sugar into trash bags. We are not sure what the
effect, along with attract ants, and would be.
Do this at least 3 times, 7 to 10 days apart. On our most
infested hives, we are going to do this a 4th time. On our least
infested hive, we are only seeing a few mites on the board.
Warning, do not leave the boards with the powder sugar in more than
24 hours. The moisture or the oil that was used turns the sugar into
icing, then the mites just walks across it.
Pass it along.
Janet