Early summer varroa mite testing, mite treatment choices and queen banking.
Пікірлер: 133
@DonaldRogersBaldEagle Жыл бұрын
I used Formic Pro in fall of 2022 and all my hives survived through winter. Thanks Molly for your import, Hope your bees are doing great this year.
@mikeconley3031 Жыл бұрын
How can you not luv this whole crew, thx bob ! Always good info
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Thanks.👍
@scrotiemcboogerballs1981 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing miss Molly sounds like a great honest sales lady that’s hard to find you have some great people working for you hope everyone has a great 4th Happy birthday seth&john
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Thanks. 👍
@wgbeefarmllc1967 Жыл бұрын
Good morning. I was watching your video and my three yr. old began singing happy birthday with y'all to Seth and John.
@lenturtle7954 Жыл бұрын
Its been a totally different experience running bees in 2023 compared to 30 years ago we would never open a hive without armor on watching you guys work without coveralls and gloves blows my mind . My new hive is the same so gentle its amazing . Thanks for the how to video 🎉 Happy Birthday 🎉
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
👍
@lester3836 Жыл бұрын
I think the key to Formic Pro is to leave the bees alone. One week before and one week after, and a good temp for the first 3 days. Also, only use on strong over winter colonies. Thank Molly for sending out double screen boards they have improved my spring splits tremendously. Thanks, Bob, for the formula.
@BucketListBees Жыл бұрын
Sunday morning birthday party, some bee knowledge and coffee, can’t beat that!
@Biopaseka7 ай бұрын
Очень хороший магазин. У нас таких больших магазинов нет. Респект.
@gregcundiff Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday John and Seth!
@TinyTrailFarm Жыл бұрын
I shake my nurse bees from a brood frame into the Nuc box then scoop them up in a alcohol wash container to mite test. Then reapply another alcohol wash to make sure my mite counts are accurate. Luckily, in WNC I don’t have too many heat issues with treatments. Thanks for the video. See you on 22 July for queen bee pickup. I’m going “Italian free” with my queens thanks to you and your team Bob! Great video! Kevin Rowland
@KeesHoneyBees Жыл бұрын
On a second and third wash you can use plain water
@gene-sloca Жыл бұрын
Great video. Really appreciate it your advice. Thank you.
@beebob1279 Жыл бұрын
Bob, I put in Formic Acid the other day. My colonies weren't as strong as I wanted. I put a sticky board on the bottom board for 48 hours. I pulled the board and counted the mites. The phoretic mite drop was 2200. I can't imagine what is going on in the capped brood. We lucked out and finally have temperatures where I can get it on. I also need to see more capped brood in the colonies. The sunflowers started blooming on the farm and the bees are all over them. The hives are actually collecting sunflower. I hope I can get a super or two for my personal use. We do have japanese knottweed around here but it hasn't started blooming just yet.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hang in there.
@beesintheweeds Жыл бұрын
I use the exact same mite treatment regimen Bob. Personally, it works great for me and my colonies. 👍🏼
@lester3836 Жыл бұрын
Great video. You have really helped explain so many bee concepts. Thank you.
@nancynolton6079 Жыл бұрын
I agree take preventative measures before you need to take drastic action where mites are concerned. So much of mite treatment success is using the products in the correct way at the correct time and under the right conditions. HoneyBee Health Coalation has a great mite management decision tool to help understand the mite products available and the proper use.
@577bluegrass Жыл бұрын
Happy birthday Seth and John ! Enjoyed the video Happy Forth to all of you
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Thanks so much!
@TinyTrailFarm Жыл бұрын
Nice birthday party too! You all are great!🎈
@KirBeesFarms10 ай бұрын
Bob you look like so much fun to work for! If you ever need a hand in Eastern NC please let me know :D
@gregdunn6422 Жыл бұрын
Great information Bob... Thanks
@kennith. Жыл бұрын
Great to see Molly on. Happy birthday Seth and John.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
She's a natural on camera and a pleasure to have around.
@oscarvilla6841 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video, happy birthday John and Seth!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hi Oscar. 👍
@josephrawls Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday guys.
@ivomga Жыл бұрын
At the moment I am using oxalic acid with thymol in a gel I made myself, I make 1 kg of vaseline, 500 gr of oxalic acid and 250 gr of thymol. I heat the vaseline until it is liquid, add the rest, stir the rest and let it cool. it Works very well
@anatoliym Жыл бұрын
Do you happen to have a video or more details ? Very curious. Thanks !
@beeawesome7140 Жыл бұрын
I'm using Randy Olivers dawn mite wash now, it's working pretty amazingly.
@mse1333 Жыл бұрын
Here in Charlotte it’s hard to use formic or apiguard (even the half dose method) after the flow due to the heat. So far I’ve had good luck apivar knocking the mites back
@brendawydeven2934 Жыл бұрын
I tried apovar once. Should have tested half way through treatment because my numbers went through the roof. Now I use oa vape and hopguard 3 and have apiguard in case it's needed. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
@dontannery1805 Жыл бұрын
Cool stuff
@robertdemers5125 Жыл бұрын
Good Morning Bob !
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Good morning sir!
@chuckgross6024 Жыл бұрын
I tried apivar last year, as it was what was recommended to me. I had the same result you did. It didn't do a thing, mite count after was through the roof! Like 16 to 20 in each hive! I then did oxalic acid treatment. For 5 weeks. To my surprise they made it through the winter and had zero mites this spring when I checked them.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
👍
@alexayounginsong2641 Жыл бұрын
Mali! We love you!
@dianekulback2430 Жыл бұрын
Such a help! Thank you!
@Drewjober Жыл бұрын
I’m near Buffalo NY and I’m usually below the 90 degree in august and I put a empty super on and they beard a few days and after I get healthy hives going into winter, this summer I’m going to start doing mite counts now
@brianbennett4374 Жыл бұрын
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉
@user-ck7xt6ks7p Жыл бұрын
Красивая у вас дочь добрый пчеловод .
@dianetaylor6751 Жыл бұрын
Didn't even realize it was Sunday. Then your video pops up. So yah it's Sunday. Gosh I need a life outside of bees and beef!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I lose track of what day it is some times too. Must mean something.
@robinkennedy9974 Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 Not knowing what day it is is a symptom of old age…..It’s a disease that grows on you ( if you are lucky)…i have caught this disease myself….🥹
@mikep4514 Жыл бұрын
What a wonderful bunch of folks. From the boss on down..😊
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@lester3836 Жыл бұрын
I use a similar mite treatment regimen. Although I use formic pro in the spring before I make my splits. It works well to clean up hives. I have very little if no queen loss. Any I do lose are requeened anyways.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
We've been pondering formic in the spring while it's still cool. Maybe next year. 👍
@DuckRiverHoney Жыл бұрын
Love it!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hi Nathan. We really enjoyed your visit. Always a pleasure.
@timfeckley1689 Жыл бұрын
We did our mite check this past Wednesday came up with zero mites on 5 hives out of 5 makes me a little cautious but high hopes the late fall/winter treatments are working,early august checks will definitely be in order to confirm any suspicions I’m having
@beeawesome7140 Жыл бұрын
0 on 5 hives would make me think I had an issue with my testing procedure.
@timfeckley1689 Жыл бұрын
@@beeawesome7140 90 percent alcohol 300 bees off open brood frame shaken for over a minute what would need to change?
@timfeckley1689 Жыл бұрын
If that’s the wrong procedure we all screwed!😂
@timfeckley1689 Жыл бұрын
@@beeawesome7140 also opened up some drone brood no mites there either!
@Warren76317 Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday Guys
@MrHighjumper83 Жыл бұрын
Great people! (singers, not so much 🤪)
@serifdogan5705 Жыл бұрын
We use powdered sugar to test the varroa mites.
@paulgroth5414 Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday John @Seth! Great video as usual Bob. Love your team you have built , you guys are a great group of people . Great content , question I have us Hop Guard, is this worth using in July in Michigan?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I have not used the most recently produced Hopguard 3 so I can't say. I can report that the earlier Hopgaurd was a very poor choice and not worth the trouble.
@andresbonetto5972 Жыл бұрын
Hola bob , veo tu videos desde argentina soy apicultor excelente trabajo el que realizas
I prefer biotechnological methods such as total brood removal since the raising temperatures here in germany make formic acid a lottery. This year I am testing queen seperation with removal of the freshly capped brood every 9 days over 25 days (it's called Bannwabenverfahren in germany).
@lenturtle7954 Жыл бұрын
What do you do with the brood ?
@HerrKlaus1963 Жыл бұрын
@@lenturtle7954 depends on the infestation level. Usually I pool them from several colonies, let them hatch far away, treat with OA and queen them. If they are heavily infested melting is their fate.
@angelawilbanks9784 Жыл бұрын
Happy Birthday Seth and John!!!!🎂 I believe I’m going to try Apiguard this round. I’m really nervous about it. Any pointers? I run 8 frame deep with one medium. Miss you all!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hi Angela. It won't be long before we start using it. Perhaps you would like to come along or stop by. It could be a long answer.
@decaturridgebees8761 Жыл бұрын
Use formic…….replace queen after
@toprakanaciftligi8037 Жыл бұрын
👏👏👏👏👏
@blossomhill2117 Жыл бұрын
Do you have nurse bees in the cages with the queens in the queen banks? Would it matter if it was queenright or a queenless hive? Hazel Cook Blossom Hill Nursery Peterborough Ontario. Thanks for the great informative videos
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
It wouldn't work as well with attendants in the cages. You could put the queens over an excluder in a queen rite colony, and I have done that many times, but I've had better results with queenless.
@user-oc1kb3xn5p Жыл бұрын
هل في معهد تدريبي
@framcesmoore Жыл бұрын
Ha Bob wonderful vedio, really enjoyed it how long do u bank your queens for and how long can u bank them with out it hurting them thanks hope u and your wonderful crew have a wonderful week and a nice 4th
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hi Frances. We have held them for a month but I recommend no more than a few days if possible. Long term banking definitely has an affect.
@barryw4726 Жыл бұрын
Hi Bob, Thanks for great content all the time. You have been blessed with a really great team there. Question for you, if your mite count was higher than 10% (3 mites), lets say 6-10 mites, what would you use to treat? Would you wait till after you pulled the honey supper off to treat them? I am curious to know if you had a high mite count would you treat before your normal August treatment of Apiguard or just wait till you treated them all?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
If the count is too high to avoid major issues an oxalic vaporization or two would keep things from going too far in the short term.
@dennisbarney869 Жыл бұрын
Another great vid thanks Bob and crew. Do you have broomweed-snakeweed there, Was told not to harvest honey from that for human consumption for it will cause a bitter taste, but ok to feed back to the bees for the winter. Question do you know if bees will choose OTHER forms of nectar over broomweed ie mesquite. We will probably get three blooms of mesquite this year we have already had two and more rain in the forecast. I have not seen any honey bees on humming bird feeders yet so I don't believe we are in a full blown dearth yet. Any ones thoughts. Thanks Dennis
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
We do not have that here so I don't have any experience with it. I didn't it had a bitter taste. Bees will usually choose the nectar that has the highest sugar content.
@dennisbarney869 Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks
@StanGore-mk8ow Жыл бұрын
Hi Bob....regarding Apiguard ...you have said you used it for numerous years. Regarding Overall performance of Apiguard do you still see it a great product and one to use along side of Oxalic vapor to knock down phoretic mites....thanks Bob!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Yes, we're still going to use it but I would caution to not use the two at the same time because those two products have a slightly toxic synergistic interaction with each other.
@texasfriendlybeekeepers8210 Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 thanks Bob I usually knock down phoretic mites with OA then two applications of 25g Apiguard a week apart
@brucesnavely3603 Жыл бұрын
How often do you replace the open larvae next to the Queen cages? I bet ash issues of bees propolizing the queen cages sometimes.is that because I don't have enough nurse bees?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Ideally, add a frame twice a week.
@patrickhurley1060 Жыл бұрын
Why shake two frames of brood for the mite wash instead of just one?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
For a good mixture, or cross section, of what is in the colony. Not super necessary.
@filipvernica258 Жыл бұрын
Hello Bob, my name is Filip. I reside in Portland Oregon. This morning (07/04) I came across a bee that had a damaged wing. I have the honey super box, I often have to do treatments. What do you recommend? I currently use Oxalic acid. Todays temperature is 86 degrees. Typically treatment takes every 3 days 5 times a day. Is this correct? Any suggestions, or recommendations? Is there a video on the treatment? Thank you!
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I would first do a mite check to make sure excessive mite numbers is the problem. If it is your idea of oxalic vaporization is good but I suggest at least 5 times (7 would be better) 3 to 4 days apart.
@mrwonk9 ай бұрын
Looking good Mr. Binnie. How long are you able to bank your mated queens in the hive? I've heard there is a limit of only a few weeks.
@bobbinnie98729 ай бұрын
It can be done for up to a couple of months but the overall average quality of the queens begins to diminish in just a short time.
@mrwonk9 ай бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872That's good to hear. I'd hoped I'd be able to bank one just in case I lose a queen and can't get a replacement anywhere, so I don't lose an entire colony. I have an idea on extending the banking time. I'll let you know after I test to be sure I'm right.
@johnrenfro4467 Жыл бұрын
I’m wanting to use Apigaurd this year in South Georgia but the temps have been so hot, is it ok to use in temps to mid 90 plus? Does it come with the pads and syringe as well? Thanks for your input greatly appreciated ..
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
We use half doses when hot but I think mid 90 might be a bit much.
@user-mi4fj9rq7v Жыл бұрын
Enjoyed this video. Thank you. Q's: What style of Queen Cage do you use for banking Queens? What do you use for a plug to prevent the Queens escaping ? And if you have the time , do you ever use the OA Dribble method in your mating NUCS after all the brood has hatched out ( 17-19 days after Queen cell introduced) .
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Thanks. We're using JZ BZ cages and the candy end fits in that JZ BZ rail in such a way that no caps on the candy are necessary. If you're creative with making the right style rail you can do it with any style cage. I have used the dribble method in the past but found that it's a bit hard on the bees, especially if done more than once.
@user-mi4fj9rq7v Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you, very helpful information!
@Xray.71 Жыл бұрын
Does your store ship? I’d love to support it but it’s not the most friendliest shopping. No idea if I’m able to buy online from your store.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Our website is admittedly obsolete and we are working on a new one. In the meantime you can call our store and ask for Molly. 706 782 6722. Thanks.
@TH-cl5be Жыл бұрын
hello bob, so on the hive you have as a queen bank are those all un-mated queens ? if so how long can you keep them un-mated,
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
We only have mated queens. We don't bank queens that are being sold for more than a couple of days but for our own use perhaps a week or more if needed.
@jaibusby673 Жыл бұрын
you guys didn't metion bayvarol, we got mites coming back quick which we unfortunately used in autumn and for some reason moving on the apitraz in middle of winter? got any thoughtsm would love to oxilic acid vaporize now in winter but last i hear from randy is it does not deliver enough chemical to kill the mites and if you overdose it kills the bees. Tough little mites aye be nice when the slow vaporize kits for chemicals become available. as for mite checks i way prefer to do a mite check of capped brood and see how many breeding inside the capped cells.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I've never used Bayvarol or Apitraz so can't report much about it.
@_J.F_ Жыл бұрын
Just a quick question. I believe that the general idea is that if you treat one colony then you also treat the rest of the colonies in the apiary to avoid cross contamination from drifting etc. If that is the case I suppose that you really only need to check for mites in each apiary until you come across a colony with a too high mite count, and then treat everything without having to test any further? I can see that it is always nice to know what is going on in each colony, and that testing before and after is the way to go, but for purpose of treating you really just need one colony with a high mite count, or what?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
That would work and yes we treat all at the same time. I'm sure some colonies have more mites than others but In our case we're just looking for trends which is why we need to check more than one or two colonies but not necessarily all.
@_J.F_ Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question, and so quickly too. Thanks again.
@randywashburn377 Жыл бұрын
Inspectors are telling us to put apivar in the fall and leave all winter
@chuckgross6024 Жыл бұрын
Doesn't that go against the label? Label is law.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I would personally recommend against that.
@rtxhoneybees Жыл бұрын
Good morning Bob. How often do you refresh the brood in your queen bank colony? Also, I'm sure you turn them over pretty quickly but how long do you think the quens will live (and remain viable) in this type of bank?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
It's best to add sealed brood at least once a week so you have plenty of young nurse bees. We've had queens in a bank for up to a month and they could have gone longer but I don't recommend it. We like to get them used up within a few days if at all possible.
@keithfaithful3989 Жыл бұрын
What’s Jesse’s secret to keep that mite check from leaking alcohol all over him?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
I don't know. I don't think ours leak.
@goldenbee9978 Жыл бұрын
How long can you hold the queen's in the bank on this way?! Greetings
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
We have held them for a month but I recommend no more than a few days if possible. Long term banking definitely has an affect.
@markbooth8458 Жыл бұрын
Hello Bob. Were those queens mine that I picked up yesterday? I installed them yesterday after a thunderstorm.
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Hi Mark. They came from the batch of queens we harvested on Friday. Do you think there was a mistake of some sort? Was it the right number?
@markbooth8458 Жыл бұрын
@@bobbinnie9872 I was just wondering if they were mine. I received the correct number of queens. They all looked great when I installed them. I did my splits so the foragers fly back to the donor hives. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of them get accepted.
@jeremypatterson1319 Жыл бұрын
I usually have 20% of my hives go queenless when I use Formic Pro. Any idea why this happens?
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
It's harsh on the bees unless the temperatures are moderate or cool which is one of its drawbacks.
@MrMielten11 ай бұрын
Use one (!) strip on a single and two on a double under cool conditions!
@puddin6945 Жыл бұрын
Bob I’m going to be doing a mite treatment about August first and i was going to use apiguard and I have 3 splits I made a couple weeks ago and I was wondering is the colony too small for a treatment I guess what I’m asking is can the colony be too small for the mite treatment
@bobbinnie9872 Жыл бұрын
Wether it is too small or not would depend on if it could afford a period of little brood rearing because Apiguard tends to briefly shut the queen down. The short answer is it could be too small depending on circumstances.
@puddin6945 Жыл бұрын
Thanks bob
@brettellis1837 Жыл бұрын
Make ya sick that killing 300 plus bee's.
@ytgmbutler Жыл бұрын
Not as sickening as ignoring mites, not testing and seeing the entire colony die a long slow death. During season the queen will make up that loss before noon…
@brettellis1837 Жыл бұрын
@@ytgmbutler yer I get it but here in Australia we have a chance to wipe the turds out. Let's hope.
@MrMielten11 ай бұрын
Here in Europe we keep bees on an open bottom board which allows us to put a mite checking tray underneath the metal grid. Dead mites drop onto the tray which allows you to assess mite numbers. Pretty easy, no shaking bees!