March
25th,
2009
Its very important to do a varroa count twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, to check varroa levels.We had a good look at all the trays from the apiary, which we put in 2 weeks ago, and we only saw 1 varroa on a tray from one of Faye’s hives. While the counting by eye can be marginally inaccurate, this is still a good method.
To calculate the varroa levels in the hive, take the number of mites found (be a pessimist, call it 3) and divide it by the number of days the insert was in (14) to give the Daily Mite Drop (0.22). If the count is higher than that given in the following table, action is necessary:
| Daily Mite Drop | Winter/Spring | 0.5 mites |
|---|---|---|
| May | 6 mites | |
| June | 10 mites | |
| July | 16 mites | |
| August | 33 mites | |
| Sept | 20 mites |
Luckily for us the count is well below 1, so no treatment is needed at present.
