Varroa IPM Strategies
Can Robber Screens Reduce Mite Immigration? Part 3
Contents The Effect of Mite Immigration Upon the Efficacy of OAE. 1 Trial B –– A Comparative Trial of Effect of Robber Screens Upon Mite Buildup. 4 Experimental Design. 4 Materials and Methods. 5 Results. 7 Discussion. 10 Next 10 Acknowledgements. 10 Citations and Notes 1 Can Robber Screens Reduce Mite Immigration? Part 3 First...
Can Robber Screens Reduce Mite Immigration? Part 4
Contents Introduction. 1 Materials and Methods. 1 SIDE NOTE: A Practical Observation. 9 Back to M&M.. 9 Results. 10 Discussion. 13 Next 15 Citations and Notes 16 Can Robbing Screens Reduce Mite Immigration? Part 4 First Published in ABJ October 2024 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com I’m typing these words freshly returned from presenting...
Robbing Screens: Part 5–They Don’t Just Affect Robbers
Contents Introduction and Some Scientific Terms 2 Don’t Anthropormorphize Honey Bees 3 An Example of Robbing Without a Fight 4 There’s Little Difference Between Foraging and Robbing. 4 How Robbing Screens or Guards are Presumed to Work. 5 Test 1: Does Any Exhaust Air Exit Out the Upper Entrance?. 5 Our Findings 6 Test 2: ...
Robbing Screens: Part 6– De-Anthropomorphizing Robbing
Contents Fact-checking some “common knowledge” about Robbing behavior 1 Anthropomorphizing bee behaviors. 4 There are different types of foragers. 4 Persistence of Memory. 5 How robbing happens –– Step by Step. 6 Importance of Scent 7 Our initial experiments to test the deterrance effect of screens 8 “Guilty” Flight Behavior 13 So is zig-Zag flight...
Robbing Screens: Part 7–Can They Alone Prevent Robbing?
Contents Experiment #1. 2 Conclusion. 6 Rallying the Troops 7 The Dance Language. 7 Direction. 7 Distance. 8 “Profitability” and Desirability. 8 ODOR. 9 An Amusing Anecdote Regarding Training Bees to A Scent 9 The Purpose of a Robbing Screen. 9 Experiment #2. 10 Results. 12 The Question of Recruitment 13 The Question of Visual...
A Trial of Some Summer Treatments
Contents Oxalic Strips (OAE) 1 Fig. 1 The bees shifted brood rearing away from the strips 4 Extended-Release Thymol 4 Conditions During the Trial 7 A Note on Our Mite Wash System 8 Results and Discussion 10 Acknowledgements 12 Citations and Notes 12 A Trial of Some Summer Treatments Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in...
The Shift Toward Bioacaricides
Contents SYNTHETIC MITICIDES. 2 BIOPESTICIDES. 3 PEST RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT. 4 SHIFTING TO “NATURAL” TREATMENTS. 5 MONITORING THE DEGREE OF MITE INFESTATION. 6 TREATMENT THRESHOLDS. 7 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL, AND BIOTECHNICAL METHODS. 10 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. 13 BIOLOGICALLY RESISTANT STOCK. 14 NOTES AND CITATIONS. 15 The Shift Toward Bioacaricides Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published...
Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance: Part 1
Contents COLONY COLLAPSE REDUX? 1 A SIDE NOTE ON RECENT COLONY COLLAPSES 2 WASTED YEARS 3 NOVEL HOST-PARASITE RELATIONSHIPS 3 BREEDING MAY BE SIMPLE, OR MORE COMPLICATED 4 SELECTING FOR TOLERANCE OR RESISTANCE? 4 HOW DOES VARROA’S NATIVE HOST DEAL WITH THE MITE? 5 SOCIAL APOPTOSIS 6 RE-EVALUATING SELECTIVE BREEDING STRATEGIES 6 PROGRAMS SELECTING FOR...
Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance Part 2: Concepts
Contents LET’S GET REAL 1 BEES ARE DIFFICULT TO SELECTIVELY BREED! 3 DARWINIAN BLACK BOX SELECTION 4 IT TAKES A TEAM 5 IMAGINE SELECTIVE BREEDING AS A CARD GAME 7 IT’S A BALANCING ACT 9 OUR PROGRESS TO DATE 10 JULY UPDATE 11 CITATIONS AND NOTES 12 Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance Part 2:...
The How and Why of Oxalic Vaporization: Part 1
Contents THE PROCESS OF OXALIC ACID VAPORIZATION 2 THE PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF OXALIC ACID VAPORIZATION 3 GUN-TYPE VAPORIZERS 5 THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF OXALIC ACID 6 WHAT GOES IN, DOESN’T COME OUT! 6 HOW TO CAPTURE THE VAPOR OUTPUT FOR ANALYSIS? 9 QUANTIFICATION OF THE ACIDIC OUTPUT VIA TITRATION 15 BUYER BEWARE: THE NEED FOR...
Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance Part 3: The Equipment Required
Contents INTRODUCTION – SOME ARTICLES FROM 2017 1 MY OBJECTIVE 2 LET’S PUT TO REST TO A COMMON MISCONCEPTION 3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE MITE WASH TECHNIQUE 3 DEVELOPMENT OF A DEVICE TO DO THOUSANDS OF MITE WASHES 4 A SYSTEM TO AVOID CONFUSION IN THE FIELD 5 DEVELOPMENT OF PORTABLE IN-FIELD AGITATORS 7 NEXT MONTH...
Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance Part 4: How We Do It
Contents NOTE TO OUR COUNTRY’S QUEEN PRODUCERS 2 IT’S NOT A “ONE AND DONE” 2 HOW WE DO IT 2 PICKING OUR QUEENS TO BREED FROM 3 ELIMINATING UNWANTED ALLELES WHILE MAINTAINING GENETIC DIVERSITY 4 PROPAGATING OUR BREEDERS 4 MANAGING OUR DRONE POOL 5 START THE VARROA RACE! 7 OUR MITE-RESISTANCE ASSAY 8 FOLLOW UP...
The How and Why of Oxalic Vaporization: Part 2
Contents TESTING THE VARROX 2 WOULD MAINTAINING A LOWER TEMPERATURE REDUCE DEGRADATION? 6 THE LEIDENFROST EFFECT 8 SECOND-BY-SECOND OXALIC ACID OUTPUT 9 SUMMARY OF OUR FINDINGS 13 HOW MUCH FORMIC ACID IS IN THE OUTPUT? 15 SO WHAT’S THE OPTIMAL START-POINT TEMPERATURE? 20 HOW DO THE OXALIC OUTPUTS OF VARIOUS VAPORIZERS COMPARE? 22 IT’S IMPORTANT...
Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance: Part 5–It’s Your Turn
Contents SUPPLY FOLLOWS DEMAND.. 4 SOME SUGGESTIONS. 4 SO HERE’S A LIST OF SOME OPTIONS: 4 Option #1 (Take your breeders from Nature) 4 Option #2 (Rolling the dice) 5 Option #3 (the one that we took) 5 Option #4 (the easiest) 6 HOW MANY COLONIES DO I NEED?. 6 HOW SHOULD I CONTROL...
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