Beekeeping Through the Eyes of a Biologist
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Allow me to start with an excellent assessment by Bee Culture’s Phil Craft (BC July 2015): Perhaps beekeepers who have come to the craft in the last few decades aren’t aware of the effect varroa had when it first arrived on this continent and of how it earned its full name, Varroa destructor. Whatever the reason, every year, beekeepers all over the country lose colonies to mites and the viruses of which they are carriers, and they never know what hit them. They blame pesticides,or CCD, or habitat loss, and sometimes those really are causes, or at least significant factors. However, too, too often, the underlying cause is a lack of effective management, which allows a mite infestation to overwhelm a colony or weaken it to the point that it succumbs easily to other stressors. The most frustrating thing about these losses is that they don’t have to happen. Watch Dennis vanEngelsdorp explain why mite management is critical for colony survival, and which methods work or don’t at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bm3Y4t1NwQ
Contents Questions to Answer 1 Materials and Methods 2 Placement of the hives 2 Preparation of the Mite Donor Colonies. 3 Tagging the bees 3 The Control Group. 7 Preparation of the Mite Receiver Hives 7 Eliminating the mites. 7 Magnetic tag recovery. 9 The stickyboards. 10 The hive scales. 10 Layout of the Donor […]
Read MoreContents The Fabrics to Test Preparation A Field Trial Results Discussion TESTING COTTON MATRICES FOR OAE Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in ABJ January 2023 I continue to look for improved methods for application of extended-release oxalic acid (OAE), and thought that perhaps there might be an inexpensive, fully biodegradable all-cotton fabric that […]
Read MoreContents Extended-release thymol 1 The optimal release rate and placement of thymol 1 What’s The Optimal Dose?. 2 Our Field Testing. 3 The Dose-Response Curve. 12 Discussion. 12 Citations and notes 13 Thymol — A new application method? Part 2 First published in ABJ in December 2022 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com I do a […]
Read MoreContents “Off-Label” use of thymol 4 Thymol products for varroa control 5 Understanding Thymol 6 Reaction to the delivery matrix by the bees 6 Thymol in Shop Towels. 7 Removal and dispersion of thymol matrices by the Bees 9 Extended-Release Thymol?. 11 A Thicker Matrix. 11 moving ahead to 2022. 15 Citations and notes 15 […]
Read MoreContents Hard “Flash Treatment” vs Slow-Release. 1 Flash Treatments 1 Extended-release application. 2 our Follow-up experiments. 3 But did the wrapped strips kill mites?. 8 Discussion. 9 Citations and notes 9 Formic Pro in Hot Weather — Slowing the rate of vapor release First published in ABJ in October 2022 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com […]
Read MoreContents Formic for mite management 1 A trick for using formic pro on weak colonies 2 Queen loss in hot weather 5 Why would queens be more susceptible to formic than workers?. 6 A test of queen loss in tiny colonies. 7 Taking advantage of opportunity. 10 Trial #1 — Would foil covers reduce queen […]
Read MoreSelective Breeding for Mite Resistance, Part 3 Shifting the Genetics of a Breeding Population Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com The alleles necessary for varroa resistance already existed in my stock of bees, so I didn’t need to “create” anything new. What I’m attempting to do via strong selective pressure is to (1) eliminate from our […]
Read MoreContents The Achilles’ heel of varroa. 2 Genotype vs. Individual- or colony-level phenotype. 2 gene regulation. 3 An example of the differential expression of genes in the honey bee. 4 What Is our own bees’ mechanism(s) for Resistance?. 6 Testing for Uncapping behavior 9 Is there a Cost to the colony for resistance?. 10 Our […]
Read MoreContents Resistance vs. Tolerance or “Survival” 1 Managed apiaries vs. natural evolution. 2 Background. 3 The necessity of Mechanical Agitators 3 The resistant colonies 6 So what’s our progress so far?. 10 A built-in lag inherent in open mating programs 13 Exhibit A: Mite-count tracking for our 2022 breeders 14 Coming. 16 References. 16 […]
Read MoreContents The slow effect of OaE. 1 Mite turnover 3 A bothersome question. 5 You don’t need to kill a single mite in order to control varroa! 5 Varroa’s world: Olfaction, taste, and touch. 7 Disruption of mite sensory perception. 9 “Blinding” or irritant?. 9 A relevant question. 9 Wrap Up. 10 Citations and notes […]
Read MoreContents An additional test of matrices and OA:gly ratios. 1 Cardboard Strips vs. Sponges. 3 Compostability of spent sponges. 3 A winter field trial 4 Methods. 5 Results. 9 Discussion. 11 The Elephant in the Room.. 12 Reality Check. 12 A possible easy solution for getting us legal 13 Citations and notes. 15 […]
Read MoreI’ve been speaking on a daily basis with one of the two beekeepers whose operations are infested, as well as others in the industry. So far, over 1000 of their colonies have been euthanized, with many more planned to be burned. As you can imagine, this is very emotional for those beekeepers, who have also been prevented from […]
Read MoreExtended-release oxalic acid for varroa management This method of application of oxalic acid is not yet approved by the EPA, and I do not in any way advocate any unapproved use in bee hives. However, EPA does not require an Experimental Use Permit for a limited number of hives. Check with your State Lead Agency […]
Read MoreBeekeeper-funded Research A Test of Thermal Treatment for Varroa Part 2 First published in ABJ April 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Last month I covered the theory of using thermal treatment (hyperthermia) to control varroa, and some of the designs of devices on the market. I’d like to now answer some questions regarding thermal treatment. I […]
Read MoreBeekeeper-funded Research A Test of Thermal Treatment for Varroa: Part 1 First published in ABJ March 2021 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Last month I wrapped up the report on my testing of mite treatments suitable for application during a honey flow. A number of beekeepers have also asked me about using thermal treatment. I found […]
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