Integrated Pest Management For Beekeepers Lynn Williams 803-504-9313

Meet Our Enemy VARROA DESTRUCTOR

Varroa Mites travel on the Bee

Varroa Mites Scientific name  Varroa destructor Originally a pest of Asian honey bee Introduced to United States in 1987 In all beekeeping countries except Australia Parasitizes larva and adult bees Vector for many diseases

CAN BE SEEN WITH THE NAKED EYE NEW MITES ARE CLEAR TO TAN OLDER MITES ARE REDDISH-BROWN BODY MITES LIVE OFF Fatty TISSUE MAKING BEES ANEMIC. INFECT THE BEES WITH VIRUSES SEVERE INFESTATION MITES CAN BE SEEN ON THE BACKS OF BEES .

True or False? Every honey bee colony in the continental United States and Canada either has Varroa mites today or will have them within several months.

True Every honey bee colony in the continental United States and Canada either has Varroa mites today or will have them within several months. Doing nothing about varroa mites is not a practical option for most beekeepers. We all need to accept the fact that we have an extra member of the family – the Varroa mite – and it’s here to stay. Honey Bee Health Coalition

Life Cycle of the Varroa Mite

Successful Varroa control is PROACTIVE Successful Varroa control is PROACTIVE. We need to control Varroa before the mites reach levels that threaten colony productivity and survival.

Four inter-related population phases of honey bee/varroa mite seasonal cycles

Phoretic Vs Reproductive Phoretic Mite Lives Off & Only On Our Honey Bee Reproductive Mite Resides In The Brood Frames Alcohol Wash Mite Counts ? Phoretic Mite!! Randy Oliver Confirms Our Testing That Mite Counts Can Be Greatly Skewed. Am. Bee Journal Dec. 2017 Mite Count 3-5 Safe? Results In Brood Frames Are 1,000 To 1,500 Varroa Mites Breeding Result Hive Collapse

? What is a Mite Bomb ? Your Neighboring Bee Keeper Un-treated or inadequate treated hives will collapse Your honey bees more than likely will rob your neighbor BOOM ?

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ! Varroa life cycle and its relationship to the honey bee life cycle (including the fact that varroa reproduce only in brood cells  more brood=more varroa mites) Because more brood = more mites, varroa populations peak in Aug.-Oct. Varroa prefer shade over sunny hive locations Options for varroa control and how they work Varroa have adapted well to some treatments How to evaluate for varroa in a hive Nancy Ruppert, Apiary Inspector, NC Dept. of Agric. & Consumer Services nancy.ruppert@ncagr.gov

Clemson University IPM Study https://www. clemson A. Acceptable pest levels:  B. Preventive cultural and regulatory practices. C. Monitoring or scouting practices.  D. Genetic control.  E. Physical control. !! F. Biological control. G. Chemical control. !! H. Preventive cultural and regulatory practices

IPM: Chemical Control     Synthetic pesticides played a major role in the management of honey bee pests like varroa mites following their first discovery in the US. Most beekeepers quickly jumped on the pesticide treadmill beginning in the late 1980s and many simply wanted to know when to place the pesticides in the hive and when to remove them, a similar move (calendar based approach) adopted by the agricultural industry following WWII. Some beekeepers elected to illegally use products not labeled for beekeeping pests, such as varroa. Within a few years of repeated use, some beekeepers began to report that products like Apistan ®and Checkmite +® were no longer effective for varroa mite control. by Wm. Michael Hood Dept. of Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences Clemson University

Oxalic Acid Most Effective When Brood Is Not Present Dr. Jennifer Berry treatment in August when Mites peak one must Cage Queen & Break the Brood Cycle Her Study Published In Bee Culture http://www.beeculture.com/oxalic-better-way/ MSDS Potential Acute Health Effects Very Hazardous in case of skin contact, eyes, or Inhalation Severe over exposure can cause lung damage & death Protective Suit, Gloves, Respirator Required.

Jan. 2017 Edition of Bee Culture https://www.twobeekeepers.com/mites-are-a-never-ending-problem/ Please review Oxalic Acid treatment 9-10 times Over the year then also in the fall due to extreme high Varroa Mite count treated with Apiguard & Apivar and a follow up with Oxalic Acid The end of 2016 was a 50% loss of hives Reason a combination that neighboring Apiary’s were not treated properly This Apiary was Mite Bombed By There Neighbors

MiteAway Quick Strip Apply two strips near edge of brood box for 7 days Temp. Range of 50-92 F Honey Supers can be on the Hive MSDS Acute Health Effects Hazardous to Skin, Eyes,& Lungs Disposable Gloves Required Wash Suit after use. Prolonged Contact with solid product or Vapor may produce injury to eye cornea, nasal & respiratory tract irritation & skin irritation

Apivar (Amitraz) 44-56 day treatment when bees can move freely No Honey Supers On the Hive Not Suitable During Honey Flow Supers Can be Installed 2 Weeks After Treatment MSDS Skin contact & open cuts should not be exposed Entry into the blood system thru open cuts etc. may have harmful effects. Long term use and exposure may be harmful to ones lungs function

Apistan Apply strips in brood box for 45 days. No Honey Supers on the Hive. Re-install honey supers after treatment.!! MSDS Keep out of reach of children. Harmful if absorbed through skin, avoid contact with eyes skin & clothing. If contact with eyes rinse for 15-20 minutes, if contact with skin rinse for 15-20 minutes & call the poison control center or a Doctor Handle only with Chemical Resistant Gloves

Check Mite Hang two strips in middle of brood box for 45 days. No Honey Supers on the Hive. Honey Supers can not be installed until two weeks after treatment. MSDS Inhalation Hazard symptoms of runny nose, eye’s tearing, tightness of chest. If severe symptoms are fatigue, vomiting, convulsions, low blood pressure, cardiac irregularities and coma. Symptoms may not appear until 12 hours after exposure

So what’s a Beekeepers Choices Risk Exposure to these Highly Toxic Chemicals? Exposure our Honey Bees to the Same Chemicals? The Varroa Mite Continues to evolve and build up resistance to these Chemicals. Is there an Organic Solution Yes

IPM Physical Control No. 6 Physical practices include the use of Heat, cold, light, humidity, carbon dioxide, light, ventilation or sound to control a pest. Most pests have physical limitations that affect their activities or survival. Freezing temperatures are an excellent way of killing or controlling wax moths and small hive beetles in stored drawn comb. Light and ventilation are also recommended for control of wax moths in stored drawn comb. Heat has been shown to affect varroa survival and placement of colonies in sun may aid in control of this pest. Placement of colonies in sun will also create drier soil conditions which disrupt the lifecycle of small hive beetles. by Wm. Michael Hood Dept. of Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences Clemson University

Temperature 1996 Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Study & USDA Preformed for 1 year at Apiary’s in Vermont & New Hampshire Bees where removed and placed in a Hive Box and treated with thermal temperature, the results were 82-98% termination of the Trachea, Jacobson,& Varroa Mite. The process was very simple but old compared to today’s technology but it worked. You can read the full study at https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/lne96-066/

Prof. Bicik & Dr. Roman Linhart Palack Unviersity Czech. Republic Dr. Linhart upon reviewing Japanese studies of Bees using temperature to terminate Hornets & other Pest’s started working on using temperature to terminate the Varroa Mite Discovery by raising the temperature in the bee hive to 104F The Mite is terminated even under a capped brood. The design was a thermal hive using solar sun light to raise the temperature in the hive. Testing was done showing results vs Formidol (Formic Acid) & Varidol (Amitraz) popular products in the European Market.

2015 Last Study Results Hives in the Spring were treated with Temperature, Formidol, & Varidol. The Summer treatment showed a high increase in mite counts with the Chemical Products & a very low mite count with the thermal system. The fall treatment showed the same results as the summer treatment chemicals treatments had only a minor result of terminating the Varroa Mite. Where as Thermal Treatment terminated the Varroa Mite and the reason is it terminates the mite under the capped brood. No chemical products can make this CLAIM. You can review the study at https://www.beehivethermalindustries.com/resources/studies/mite-elimination-thermotherapy-2015/

Dr. Linhart European Product $ 650.00 per hive

Is There an American Product? YES Is there ongoing studies using Temperature? Yes Thermal Image of Mites in the Brood Frame More Studies Scheduled For 2018

There IS An Organic Solution

Available in: 10 FRAME 8 FRAME Solution: 104 F – 106 F Terminates Varroa Mite Even Under Capped Brood Hive Beetles Organic Solution Without the use of pesticides Only three treatments per year Available in: 10 FRAME 8 FRAME

COMPACT DESIGN FOR SLIDE IN & OUT OPERATION ONE UNIT WILL SERVICE MUTIPLE HIVES EXTRA INTERNAL SENSORS AVAILABLE WITH QUICK DISCONNECT SO ONE CAN INSTALL ONLY ONCE FOR MUTIPLE HIVES REQUIRES 120 VOLT AC FOR OPERATION REMOTE HIVE LOCATIONS REQUIRES A SMALL GENERATOR REQUIRED POWER IS ONLY 220 WATTS LESS THAN 2 AMPS UPON REACHING MITE MODE TEMPEATURE IS MAINTAINED AND POWER USAGE IS VERY MINIMUM

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY QUESTIONS ? Lynn Williams www.beehivethermalindustries.com 803-504-9313