Pintado
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Controling mitesI'm new to beekeeping this year and setup 2 hives with 3lb package bees at the end of April. I've got screened bottom boards, but I'm not using anything else for mite control. My question is, should I be doing more? Sense I'm not expecting any honey for this year, contamination is probably not a concern. Thanks in advance for your inputs.
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euman
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Two points:
1) Mites are not normally a problem until the Fall. As of now, the bees are outrunning them population-wise, and most of your mites are in brood (mostly drone) cells. In the fall when egg-laying drops in preparation for winter, the ratio of mites to bees increases. That's also when you would treat, because most are no longer protected in brood cells.
2) Mites are usually not a problem in a starter colony's first year. They are present, but not in significant numbers till the second year.
I said "usually". But you should check mite levels this Fall just in case. A simple, non-chemical method is the powdered sugar test. Go back to the home page of this website and look up the newsletter archives, where you'll find a brief explanation on the front page of the September 2008 issue.
In the meantime, a good preventative measure is drone brood removal. Bee supply companies sell drone comb, along with instructions on how to use it to remove capped drone larvae from your hive. This is based on the fact that most mites develop in drone cells.
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