Some beekeepers use this magic number to decide if and when to treat for mites, but ideas differ about what this number should be. As an example, the Brushy Mountain Bee Farm site suggests treating for mites if your 24-hour sticky board count is greater than 5-10 mites in the spring or 50-60 mites in the fall. Some sources use just one number. The Virginia Cooperative Extension site reads, “If more than 40 mites are recovered [in a 24-hour period], then the colony should be treated.”

I have serious doubts about the validity of these numbers. The most obvious problem is that they do not take the hive population into account. A mite count of 40 in a single-deep, five-frame colony is very different than a count of 40 in a triple-deep, 24-frame colony. Mites per bee is the important number, not mites per bee hive.

Mite drop in the fall is greater than mite drop in the spring because, in the spring, most mites are under the capped cells where they are not going to fall off. Brushy Mountain recognized this in their estimate, but Virginia Cooperative Extension ignores it. Neither site discusses differences in mite count seen in various subspecies of honey bee, or differences in counts due to local climate or latitude.

The way I see it, the best we can hope for from a sticky board is to give us an idea of increase or decrease in mite loads. Or, if a beekeeper is diligent about estimating colony strength, he can assess mite drop as a function of colony strength and from there, decide when to treat.

Like many issues in beekeeping, determining when to treat for mites is a skill learned by trial and error. It is nearly impossible to make “rules” that can be used successfully, although people keep trying. All beekeeping is local and all beekeepers are different. The main problem with teaching rules instead of concepts is that it gives new beekeepers false hope, and when they do everything the books say, and their bees die anyway, they wonder if it’s worth it.

So what do I do? No sticky boards. For the past six years I’ve treated for mites once a year with one of the thymol-based products. I do this in August when brood is low and while there’s still time to raise a crop of winter bees that haven’t been exposed to the thymol. I’ve had no problems with mites or mite-borne diseases until this year when I switched to HopGuard—but that’s an entirely separate subject. More on that later.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

Although the directions say that honey supers do not have to be removed during treatment, I received a note from a reader saying that he could detect the odor of HopGuard in his honey supers. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk, so I pulled the supers before doing the treatment.

As a point of comparison, the only mite treatments I have used in the past have been ApiLife Var (a biscuit-like thymol product), ApiGuard (a gelatinous thymol product), and Mite-Away II (pads soaked with formic acid). Like HopGuard, these products are considered “soft” chemicals, meaning they are naturally-occurring substances that kill mites rather than synthetically manufactured molecules.

I found the previous products to be extremely effective but really unpleasant. The worst part is having to make the hive into a “fumigation chamber” and locking down all the natural ventilation. Also, I hated the smell of those products, so I was ready to give HopGuard a try. So here are my reactions, divided into positive and negative.

Positive:

• I was pleasantly surprised by the odor. I was expecting the worst after that one reader comment, but I found very little in the way of offensive odor, even when opening the new package. To me it smelled faintly of hops—not strong like when I’m brewing beer—but just slightly hoppy.

• Quantities were easy to figure for each hive. One strip per five frames of bees seemed a little more tailored than the quantities recommended by the other products. I used anywhere from one to six strips, depending on the colony size.

• The bees seemed unperturbed when I placed the strips in the hive. My bees usually go ballistic when I apply the other products, but they seemed not to be offended by the odor of HopGuard any more than I was.

• In the past when I had to lock down the ventilation, mite treatments were followed by much bearding and general unrest. With the HopGuard everything seemed normal after the application.

• HopGuard lists no temperature restrictions the way the other products do. The thymol products are ineffective when it’s too cold, formic products are dangerous when it’s too hot. HopGuard is just plain easier.

• The price: this stuff is a whole lot cheaper than other soft treatments. It is actually affordable.

Negative:

• OMG! HopGuard gives new meaning to the word “messy.” I was ready for this, having watched the video, and even brought rags and extra nitrile gloves with me. Still, after the first three or four hives, HopGuard was everywhere. By the time I was done, I had to wash my hive tools, the smoker, the propane torch (used for lighting the smoker), the bucket I used to carry things, my bee suit, rags . . . even my shoes. Beekeepers are used to things sticky, but even so . . .

• The directions for use are glued to the outside of the foil package. They became completely saturated and unreadable after a few hives. I would prefer to have the directions separate from the package. Although some general directions are found online along with the video, I haven’t found the actual package insert. It would be a nice thing to have.

• I don’t like the idea that I need to distribute the strips among the brood boxes. For the most part, I can’t move my brood boxes this time of year. Some weigh 80 or 90 pounds, and I weigh like 115, so moving them just ain’t gonna happen. I ended up carrying an extra brood box with me, removing enough frames from the top box so I could reach down into the lower box and insert the strips. Then I had to replace the frames in the top box and add those strips. Meanwhile HopGuard is smeared over every conceivable surface and it’s about 200 degrees in my bee suit. This problem was even worse in my triple deep hives.

• Related to the above is the fact that I don’t like to tear my hives apart this time of year. Honey cells inevitably break open and attract robbers and predators. In addition, I run the risk of killing the queen in a season when the drones are gone and the colony can’t replace her. Is it really necessary to put the strips in each brood box or could they all be put in the top box?

• When I opened the foil package, I knew I would not use the entire package in one day. In light of that, I opened the package as carefully as possible, conserving ever millimeter of the bag length. Still, at the end of the day, there was not enough bag left to wrap and store the contents. The directions say you can store the extra strips in the foil bag, but there’s no way. I folded the foil over as well as I could, then wrapped the foil bag in plastic wrap, and put the whole thing in a plastic bag, and put the bag in a bucket. Next time I went to use it, HopGuard had leaked everywhere. I hope BetaTec is reading this because we need a longer bag!

If the HopGuard works, I would use it again in spite of the inconvenience. I liked the way the bees responded to it, I like the price, I like the smell, and I like the fact it is made from all food-grade products. These are all big advantages. Still, if some of the other issues were addressed I think the product would be a lot easier to use.

Rusty

HoneyBeeSuite.com

Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) allows an unregistered product to be used in certain regional areas when an emergency pest situation exists and there is no viable alternative method of control. The three states argue that the seven pesticides currently approved for use on Varroa mites in the region are either ineffective or impractical to control the mites in commercial hives.

So what is HopGuard? HopGuard is made from one of the organic acids found in the hop plant, Humulus lupulus. An organic acid is simply a carbon-containing compound with acidic properties. Some of the current Varroa treatments also use organic acids, including ApiLife Var and ApiGuard, both of which contain thymol (found in thyme) and MiteAway II, which contains formic acid (similar to that found in fire ants.)

Hops contain two prominent organic acids, alpha acids—known to brewers as “flavor” hops—and beta acids, known as “aroma” hops. It is the beta acids that have been found to have anti-Varroa properties.

The new formulation is 16% beta acids painted on cardboard strips which will be used in the brood boxes. Two strips per brood box will be used up to three times per year. Since the product contains only “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) ingredients, the manufacturer believes the product can be used in the hives anytime—even during a honey flow.

The manufacturer is seeking registration as a biopesticide (short for biochemical pesticide) which is the EPA term for a naturally-occurring pesticide.

Will it work? In my opinion, organic acids are excellent pesticides because of their safety to both bees and the planet. However, in the past they have received only moderate acceptance in the beekeeping community—mostly because daytime temperatures and the brood-rearing cycle must be closely monitored. In addition, the hives usually must be made into “fumigation chambers” for the organic acids to work properly. This is time-consuming and hard on the bees.

Will HopGuard be any different? Only time will tell. In my experience the thymol products have worked great. But since I am not a commercial beekeeper, I have the time and inclination to fiddle around with the exacting conditions that allow those products to be effective. If HopGuard is simpler to use, it could revolutionize mite control, but the jury is still out. More data are needed.

For more information on organic acids in general, see Essential Oils and Organic Acids for the Control of Varroa destructor in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).

Rusty

So when the sky lightened a bit in the afternoon—and it wasn’t actually raining—I decided the time was ripe to get those drone frames. I gathered some empty frames, a few tools, pulled on my suit, and headed up the hill.

My hives are on a hillside surrounded by woods. I have to cross a couple wooden bridges and trudge through the undergrowth and up an impossibly steep hill with switchbacks to get to the hives. By the time I got to the first set I was drenched. Although it wasn’t raining, the undergrowth was sodden and water was dripping from the trees. Worse, the air was muggy and dank.

All was quiet around the hives. I knew I was in for trouble because all the foragers were home—drinking beer and watching television, for all I knew—and they wouldn’t want to be disturbed.

And I was right. Once I popped the first lid they came at me with a vengeance. Within a few moments I couldn’t see through my veil because it was black with angry insects. Conveniently, the tops of my drone frames are painted bright green so I can find them easily, but I couldn’t see a thing! And the bees were making such a racket I couldn’t begin to think.

After parting the bees on my veil with the hive tool, I was finally able to locate the drone frames and replace them. At one point I had to kneel down on the ground, and I promptly got stung where my suit pulled tight over my knee. My suit, of course, was over my jeans. Those bees were annoyed.

Before it was over I had to go further up the hill—and then further. By the time I was done I was easily as cranky as the bees. My clothes were stuck to me, I had stings on my hands and knees, and I kept tripping over sticks and vines that I couldn’t see through the dark hood of bees that accompanied me back down the hill. I do this why? Am I sane?

By the time I got to the chicken coops the bees were pretty much gone. I cut the drone brood out of the frames and flung it to the chickens who thought they’d died and gone to heaven. At least somebody was happy . . .

Rusty