🔵Alcohol wash with INSANE mite load!
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2019
- How to do an alcohol wash!
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Great Video. Thanks for having the good sense to share this. this is so true for many beekeepers. I liked the way to say it may have robbed out a "nest in a tree"!! Yea, dont you mean something else??
Hi Richard, Thanks.
A couple of my subs (who I think are also yours) told me of your channel a while back. You do great work/videos. Who knows what I'll say in a video! It is all I can do to not let more of the local slang out!
Do not be embarrassed for this count, you are showing excellent beekeeping practices. Those who should be ashamed are who say they don't have a mite problem but never test and never treat, because "It's natural".
Why do people demonize treatment free bee keepers?
If a person has dogs, cats, horses, cattle, etc...and they never took steps to keep them healthy, especially if they get sick, isn't that "natural" animal ownership? Just a thought...
@@BlessedBeJESUSCHRIST because you directly impact beekeepers that are not making this choice. Your choice infects other hives.
Steven Racewicz yes I would say that’s natural and that’s how we keep our animals and livestock as well.
Rogier Dikkes what evidence do you have that how we keep bees affects anyone else around us, we do wash’s and check mite levels regularly, and we never have any. So how are we hurting other bee keepers
Thank you Kamon and Laurel for putting yourselves out there! I'm a 4th year beekeeper and the amount of mixed messages on mite treatments I get from more experienced beekeepers is overwhelming! The latest I was told was OA treatments don't work and is dated info. Very frustrating and makes the learning curve for beginners that much harder. The info you put out is very methodical and much appreciated!
Based on the mite load, would you hold off introducing the new queen until you're done with the vapor treatment?
I just did a check of my biggest hive and got 49 mites out of 300 bees. Two swarm hives I have had two and four mites. Check all your hives!
Excellent lesson. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
When you get that many mites, tap the mites into the corner of the jar. GENTLY pour off the liquid and measure the mites by the teaspoon full. For example, 1.5 teaspoons per three hundred bees.
Wow! That's crazy, and you take good care of your bees. I never thought of only testing the nurse bees, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks Kamon!
Wow! This was an awesome video. I am sorry you have to deal with it but it is an amazing learning opportunity for us! I look forward to seeing how the treatment goes.
Nicely done you gotta keep watching right to the end guys.
This spring Apivar didn’t do a thing on mite control in my colonies. I had it on my packages after they were established. ( I missed the window to do an oxalic acid dribble). This is why as you’ve said to re-check your mite levels after treatments. I now have apiguard on my hives. The state was out inspecting on August 2 and had the same results. As we went through the apiaries is when the treatment was put on. I’ll do the second treatment and then re-check the levels. Please listen to Kamon and the other professionals and manage your colonies. It’ll save everyone time, money, frustration, and your bees.
Our other big problem in my area are the ‘natural’ beekeepers or the treatment free bee havers. I get hit in the fall with mite loads often known as mite bombs and this causes all kinds of problems. Please listen to
They prefer "natural selection", but what they don't realize, is that, it's a numbers game. Even mite resistant stock needs to be treated or they will be overwhelmed eventually. That's because we aren't breeding bees and constantly doing splits, which decreases the mite load.
I had one like that and took a pic of the inspection board after every OAV treatment , never counted all the mites but I show all the new beekeepers what kills the bees .
Dan, that's good, people need to see it. Sometimes it's like "Out of sight, out of mind". A lot of people just don't know any better.
Wow! I counted uperwards of 60 mites. That would be an average of 5 mites per bee. We definitely need to watch our hives closely. Thanks for letting us see just how bad a hive can get.
wow that is a high count. Hive is still strong, take credit where it is do. Wouldn't be alive if it wasn't strong.
Did a treatment of Apiguard after your video with that product. Approaching end of week, only have 2 hive and one had a much bigger drop than the other. The one with the bigger drop has a new queen, not sure if they swarmed as the number of bees don't seem that much less, but who knows. It's been about a week I think since the replacement, not seeing much brood so not sure if the queen is mated and laying yet, found her on a full honey frame in the brood box with not much attention being paid to her. Thanks for the videos it sure helps this newbee understand how this all works without repeating others failings.
Ausome information and treatment techniques 🐝🐝🐝thanks brother
Just like to say Thank You for your videos. I don't have bees found and subscribed to your channel while doing my research and I feel your content is excellent... definitely giving me clear understanding into what it is going to take to be successful in this hobby. Looking forward to learn how you overcome this challenge.
If you're interested now, you'll love it! My first year, I had two hives but no bees and I didn't know about UA-cam. It was a lot of fun learning and anticipating that a swarm would move into one of my hives. Now I'm addicted and can't get enough of it! Have fun!
@@danskisbees7348 Thank You for the encouragement. I was thinking of this alcohol mite test and had an idea...Could it be possible take a black light at night to the hive and see if their are mites. I googled the lil blood suckers and from the images it seems they are red and somewhat translucent..I think they might glow like a CSI Crime Scene in a hive. Anyone ever try it?
@@jAxRacingLofts That's a great idea! The only problem is, most mites are on the abdomen of the bees, which gives them the best access to the hemolymph. If you see them on other parts of the bee, you really have a bad infestation.
If you're worried about killing 1/2 a cup of bees, you could treat and see what your 24 hour mite drop is by looking at your bottom board. It isn't accurate, but you'll know whether or not you have mites.
Holy sheep and goats! I'm going to test my hives now!!
Love the last 5 seconds of this video. :-) The rest of it was great as well.
I got a similar mite level at one of My hives. I removed All the brood and spraye alle bees with a 10% lactic acid mixture. And did the same the next day. That took care of the problem, then i will give them an oxsalic treatmen between Christmas and newyear when there is no, to little brood. That should kill minimum 95% of the mites
Thanks for the video. Mites untreated is a dead hive waiting to happen. I just finished 3 treatment cycle of apiguard. Time to see if/how it worked.
How did it work? I just started a treatment with it
Tony Jenkins hi. It worked well. I am using Hopguard starting this coming week after doing 5 rounds of OA vapor in Feb. Plan to come back oct/nov with the least 2020 treatment. My colonies did well overwintering last year using this schedule coupled with varying methods.
Well I guess I need to test them, I was just going to treat and not test, but you brought up some good points.
Kamon this is a good video. Please do follow ups on this hive regularly on UA-cam whether it either overcomes or fails? This will be a GREAT educational series if you are willing? Thanks, Phillip Hall
very good video.
need to look at mine now.
we are in tarweed bloom but low broad.
Great video! Couple years ago I had 30 mites/half cup using sugar roll. None of my hives were previously treated. Performed three oxalic acid sublimations in 3 weeks. Haven't seen but two mites since last October. Curious why you plan to treat 5 times.
Also, someone is adding a third "R" to Varroa. That someone creates some good beekeeping videos. Sorry, it's the previous career coming out. I'm sure I've misspelled word in the comment, so don't take it too serious.
Guessing you prefer the old veil to the new one.
Philip Rehm words*
Thanks for sharing.
Just noticed the bug noise. Cicadas?
Up here in Illinois we have two varieties. One is large and green. Sounds like weeeeuhhh weeeeuhhh trails off... kind of nice.
The little red ones go click click click by the thousands and drive a guy crazy.
I'm so glad the red ones don't come around here but east, west, and south...oh boy they're thick..
dang that a lot of mites... treat treat treat
Hi Kamon,
I’d be interested in seeing how this colony that has the insane mite load bulked up for winter if you have time. Were your treatments effective sufficient for them to get strong & healthy enough going into winter?
Wait....wait...what was the count? I know it was over, but what was it over???
I knew this beekeeper (she was funny), she put each mite in a line of 10 and counted each one. Her end count was something insane like 168 total mites total/half cup. The adjacent hive had a mite count of zero. & it was zero, she tested the adjacent hive 6 times with different methods and several of those were alcohol (she was a real beekeeper, a master beekeeper). She ended up saving the really badly infested hive with a formic acid treatment. They also requeened themselves.
But please tell us how many mites were in that tub + the mites/100 count.
Wow, just Wow.
We had a 49 mite count in one of our colonies this year (16.3%). treated with Randy Olivers OA shop towel method. re checked after 6 weeks and that colony was down to 1 mite! we have about 28 hives and we got a kill rate of 80-99%. just wondered if you have tried this method? seems easier than vapor application every 3 or 4 days for a few weeks?
we are from central california so don't have much of a brood break during the year. Usually very mild winters, no snow where we live.
Love your videos!
Wow .. going to be huge mite drop
For sure.
When was this colony last treated and how was it treated? Did you do a follow up mite count after treatment to confirm that the treatment worked? Trying to understand how quickly the numbers increased.
It was treated in early April before honey supers and twice since they were removed. I didn't knock them back enough and they can more than double in 21 days. Let us see if the provap can clean them up in 5 rounds in 21 days
@@kamonreynolds thanks. What did you previously use to treat? By the way, I'm with you on using high strength alcohol. I recently did a wash with windshield washer fluid and after several minutes in the solution, the bees were still moving when I dumped them out. If the bees weren't quite dead, I assume that mites may have been hanging on too and my mite counts biased low.
Wow, Let us know the out come. When will you introduce the queen? that is going to cause so strategy issues given the mite load.
Requeen is important as the old girl did not show resistance. How do you manage drift within your yard if you suspect a hive like this?
Wel. best thing I know to do is to nuke these mites out before the colony gets so weak it gets robbed out. I am sure a bit of drift happens and that is why alcohol washes are very handy to eliminate those colonies that are higher than they should be coming out of our summer
Oh my that's scary! I've been treating mine with OA...3rd treatment coming up!
Try dusting with suger. It stimulates them to groom one another getting rid of mites.
Thanks we tried that 20 years ago but for the time and effectiveness we find other things work better for us
@@kamonreynolds np
Thank you for this video and all of your videos for that matter. I'll admit it that I first started watching your videos because I liked to laugh at your "down home southern charm." Seriously you look and sound like Opie Taylor grew up and became a beek. But in fact, you have proven to be a great source of knowledge and your videos present a lot of information in a very enjoyable way! The real and refreshing shocker is that you shatter the stereotype of the southern, good ole boy beekeeper. You are clearly intelligent and capable. Keep up the good work!
I just got 2 colonies from a bee yard not too far from me, and one was fine but the other was infested similar to yours, I just did my 4th treatment, and the mites are still dropping like crazy. Do you think it's genetics? If so should I try to re-queen now (in California where the flow is still on for another month or so), or wait till spring and do it then? Or see if 5 treatments will make this hive thrive next year. The brood pattern has gotten much better since the treatments started.
Genetics could have something to do with it to a degree. My thoughts are, let us say this high mite colony died and a colony or 2 robbed it out and picked up all your mite load plus what they had. In a week they could have an explosion of mites. Perhaps this colony picked them up from another colony. Who knows. I would treat them hard and if the brood doesn't look good requeen
That beehive reminds of Alabama's defense...
Boooooooo!
Great video keep them coming. Insect fogger didn't work for me wouldn't recommend it.
Hey Jerry, I used to use the fogger also. After using the Mann Lake vaporizer and following the instructions, there's no way the fogger was getting the same results.
Its provap 110 for me very soon.
@@dryridgebeesupply I know, the vaporizer takes forever if you have a lot of hives.
@@danskisbees7348 Pro Vape is handy but be mindful to keep clear of cap during treatment. If tube is clogged or obstructed, cap will blow off sending out hot molten oxalic acid.
@@brettgreen6708 Thanks Brett.
Another excellent tutorial, thanks Kamon.
As an alternative to an alcohol wash, what are your views on the CO2 method of assessing Varoa levels?
If it's accurate, I'd be interested in trying it as it doesn't kill the bees.
Stuart
What is the alcohol that is used? I don’t want a vodka treatment, keep that for Friday nights! Is this just rubbing alcohol? Love your videos and the passion. Good work all around
I realize this was almost a year ago but here's another thing to do if the queen is still good but the hive is infested. Treat first with apiguard, to shut the queen down. Then 10 later hit with a follow-up treatment of choice
New record smashing the old one
Did you eliminate totally that infected brood frames and then treat with OA vaporizations?
Now I don't feel so bad, I have the same Varro checker., 14 mites, but,but ,,,I filled the basket full of bees,,, so how bad was the mites in this hive?😎😎😎
Wow !
It happens when I do it and done shaking I strain out alcohol thru an old white T shirt and separate bees from mites so easier for me to count.Question if you took a half cup of bees not containing to many nurse bees would you still find some mites ?
Wow.
Interesting video.
Curious...are certain months the mites going to be bigger than others? (Is it possible its high from a temperature/time of year spike?)
Do you think the mite problems in recent years is partly related to the fact that humans put the hives close together (because of something called mortgages) and that if this weren't the case there'd be no mite problems?
Does it matter what kind of alcohol you used? Would any cheap alcohol work?
When do you suggest we treat if we have honey supers on? Do we remove them, treat (I have a vaporizer) then put super back on? Or wait til fall flow is over and supers are off and treat weekly for a few weeks then? Thank you!
Very interesting, what alcohol do you use?
Boat Man I as going to ask that same question.
Good vid. WOW
Have similar problem - 4 weeks ago, did a wash and had mite count of 7 per 100. Started Oxalic Vapor treatment. After 3 treatments (7days apart) mite load is up to 15 per 100 (similar to your results). WTH! I’m starting Vapor treatment again in hopes of avoiding a colony collapse. Am I wasting my time ? Is this a “Dead Bees Walking” hive?
Michael Clancy Yes, I had something similar ones, maybe an explanation is the neighborhood and re-infestation process. How isolated is your apiary?
Kind regards
Felipe (from Chile 🇨🇱 ).
I think it’s isolated except for one Hive on stand 2 feet away. It’s mite count was 3 per hundred. I was also treating it at the same time. The mite count went down in that hive but doubled in this one I spoke of.
Thanks for the video. Would you please add the mite count to the description? After reading & reading comments, could not find it.
Looked to me to be upwards of 25%? Did anyone else see Kamon's count?
Almost 30% roughly 96 mites in an alcohol wash of 300 bees
Thanks Kamon. Were you able to save the colony?
Wow 😮 😲
Great video. Thanks! I had 1 colony like this in july. Vape them suckers!
wow, did you ever get this colony back or did it collapse?
The colony is making honey this year but it took a ton of work, treatments, 2 queens, and a whole season to get to production size. Best just to kill the mites early! The viruses is what kept them down so long
How do you feel about Mite-Away-Quick Strips (other than the cost)? I vaporized in Spring and now put the Quick-Strips in August.
Cost is not a problem to me. Alive bees make money BUT formic is very disruptive in any temperature and it will kill a bit of brood in high temps. It is good at killing mites just make sure to follow the instructions
How embarrassments.
In Australia we don’t have these mites yet ( touch wood). But we do have beetle problems.
the US will be happy to send you some, we seem to send all our garbage out of the country
@@olddave4833 Only after the garbage is sent to America.
Kamon, did you do the provape and how well did the mite kill end up?!?!? I’m tying to figure out what all I need to buy cause I just seen a mite on a bee!!
5 rounds only dropped the mites by like 60-70% had to do 8 total rounds and apivar strips to lower mites significantly.
Kamon Reynolds - Tennessee's Bees, Good grief, why do you think some colonies can’t hardly get rid of them when most seem to clean up real easy after oxalic acid treatments?? Could they be getting immune or something??
Are you treating every 7 days for 5 weeks?
every 4 days for 21 days covering the whole mite cycle.
OMG
👀 👀👀 ya that’s a mite problem
I have never seen a varroa mite in any of my 450 hives
Wow, what country do you live in?
but have u ever really looked? or yeah, u just live in the right country.
Biggest varroa free island in the world. I fucking hate this country, but at least we don't have varroa.
@@hughyhughes8058
Ahhhhh.
Australia ? Right?
@@FloryJohann spot on mate. This country has fallen to bits, but at least we don't have these bugs yet!
Kaymon, have you ever used vinegar?
Buzz buzz
Wooooof! Are they bad genes for hygiene or amazing genes for tolerance?
Good question
Kamon Reynolds - Tennessee's Bees I Had the same situation last season, a good colony with high mite numbers, one posible explanation is that those mites have low virus load so their damage to the colony in not so hard, anyway a very bad situation.
I like your videos, my best wishes to you and your bees,
Kind regards from a Chilean 🇨🇱 beekeeper
I guess I just messed up with the fb sign up. Do I cancel the sign up or something else. I read the rules after my mess up. But I still can't get back to the sign up page.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I'm wondering, why do beeks treat on a 21 day cycle when drones are on a 24 day development cycle? Varroa prefer drone cells. When I treat, I do an OAV one week + one day apart to reach that 24 days so as to get those little buggers when the drones emerge. Does anyone else use this method or is my thinking flawed?
Your theory doesn't break the mite cycle. It doesn't account for brood that is going to emerge within the 25 days. Mites lay in worker cells also. Nice thinking though! Maybe four consecutive weeks would sound better, but the stress on the bees probably isn't worth it if you are getting a 95% mite kill in three weeks. And you have to take into account the time involved for a fourth treatment.
A test of your mite treatments is a good use for that colony. Otherwise I'd seriously consider freezing all the comb and toasting the box. What if the spotty pattern was caused by viruses killing the pupae instead of a failing queen? What's the value of a few pounds of summer bees and a couple frames of brood during a dearth anyway?
Come to think of it, I haven't seen a beekeeper video of how to kill off a colony safely, quickly and thoroughly. Near Africanized bee territory, that would be a useful thing to know.
From what I understand, most people just seal the hive and suffocate them.
I have a question, where do the mites come from? And I hope you can kill them for the sake of the bees. Thanks for for showing how to check for them!
Asian Honeybee. They are very different in how they brood and they are able to coexist. Unfortunately, our bees our very different and cannot coexist
@@kamonreynolds thank you for getting back to me and explaining this to me! Love your channel because you do explain so many things about the bees. Thanks again!
Why not the bee-friendly sugar-shake varroa count instead of the alcohol-kill-them-all count? Thanks for the vid!
It is not accurate and few mites more or less can make your hive live or die and may determent if treatment is needed or not.
no gloves your nuts
how did a professional or commercial bee keeper let their hives get so bad?
This is the 4th attempt at an alcohol wash video that we have done. We threw out the others because we washed 0's and the other a one. This colony we treated just like the rest and it STILL has high loads so it must have been phenomenally high. I estimate 8-10,000 mites in this colony. Now we can do a very good test on the Pro vap 110 and see if 5 treatments in a 21 days period will knock them back to a wash of a 0 or a 1
@@kamonreynolds Kamon, be careful with the Pro Vape. I have used one for two years with excellent results but if the little tube gets plugged the cap will blow off. I have some nice scars on my wrist and hand from the burns. Can only imagine what it could do to one's eyes. I found it beneficial to run a small wire through tube to keep it clear if obstruction. Definitely wear protective gear and keep Laurel a safe distance away. Stay strong little family. Try not to wear yourselves out completely.
@@brettgreen6708 The instructions say to run a pipe cleaner through the tube after use and after it cools. I have done that each time and I have not had any issues with clogging.
@@altaylor6655 Good approach Al. I run 50+ hives so the Pro Vape is a God send but it has to be respected. I typically do clean the tube out but that one time is all it takes. Better to be careful.
Brett Green, same thing happened to me, but it got in my eyes. I went to the Emerncy room & recovered. My fought for taking goggles off due to fog & sweat. I also forgot to clean the pipe hole. Gun shy of it now, & have gone back to a thymol treatment.