{"id":169,"date":"2016-01-18T19:11:56","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T19:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/?p=169"},"modified":"2016-01-29T02:11:43","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T02:11:43","slug":"bee-and-hive-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Bee and Hive Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Varroa <\/p>\n

Courtesy Indiana Department of Natural Resources<\/p>\n

Varroa mites are parasites that attach to bees and spread viruses throughout the hive. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Honey bees provide sweet rewards while challenging beekeepers to manage their health risks. Today\u2019s Honey bees have been hard hit by parasitic mites and disorders that compromise overall health. Greg Hunt, bee specialist with Purdue University, and Kathleen Prough, chief apiary inspector for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, identify parasitic mites that beekeepers should know.<\/p>\n

Varroa Mites<\/h2>\n

These tiny, fast moving parasites attach themselves to both adult and immature Honey bees. The mites puncture the bee\u2019s body, sucking fluids, weakening the bee and spreading viruses. Although visible to the naked eye, Varroa mites are often overlooked. <\/p>\n

Commercially available or homemade sticky boards enable beekeepers to assess the level of Varroa-mite infestation in their hives. A simple sticky board can be made using white poster board and cooking spray. Cut the poster board so that it can easily slide under the screen bottom board. Apply a thick layer of cooking spray and slide it under the hive\u2019s screen bottom board. Leave it in place for 72 hours. Count the number of mites stuck to the board after each 24-hour period. If there are 50 mites or more per day (150 total) for the three day period, the hive needs to be treated.<\/p>\n

Commercial products containing thymol as the principle active ingredient will kill mites. Powdered sugar treatments are a non-chemical solution for addressing mite infestations. Beekeeping journals and supply catalogs discuss the advantages and disadvantages for a variety of control measures.<\/p>\n

Trachea Mites<\/h2>\n

These microscopic, internal mites live inside the breathing tubes of Honey bees. Trachea mites feed on the bee\u2019s body fluids by puncturing through the walls of the trachea. They are not visible to the human eye without dissecting the bee. <\/p>\n

Bees infected with trachea mites may develop trouble breathing and flying. Trachea mites also reduce the bee\u2019s life span and ability to keep warm during winter months.<\/p>\n

Vegetable shortening patties mixed with two parts of powdered sugar are a non-chemical treatment for trachea mites. Patties can be placed on the top bars of frames on wax paper. For best results, patties can be kept in hives from spring through fall. The vegetable shortening appears to prevent trachea mites from infesting young-adult bees.<\/p>\n

Colony Collapse Disorder<\/h2>\n

Honey bees have been in the media spotlight because of sudden decline dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder<\/a>. From determining bees\u2019 access to enough pollen and nectar to understanding the impact of pesticides and mites, researchers are examining what is causing the loss of healthy Honey bees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that Varroa mites continue to be the main problem facing Honey bees,\u201d Hunt explains. \u201cWe\u2019ve been breeding for resistance to Varroa mites so that mite populations won\u2019t grow as fast. Breeding for resistance is an important part of reducing pesticide use in beekeeping. Russian bees and bees with sensitive hygienic behavior (grooming to keep mites off), seem to have more resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/strong> Professional writer Deb Buehler grew up on a hobby farm in central Indiana where she gardened, made applesauce, tapped sugar maples and cared for an array of animals. Today she and her husband, Craig, live in Indianapolis practicing a sustainable lifestyle that includes expanding an urban vegetable garden, buying locally, keeping bees and caring for dogs Abby and Tucker.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keep your Honey bees healthy by learning about mites and other problems that infest bee hives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urban-farming"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBee and Hive Problems - Hobby Farms<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bee and Hive Problems\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Keep your Honey bees healthy by learning about mites and other problems that infest bee hives.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hobby Farms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hobbyfarms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/deb.buehler.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-18T19:11:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-01-29T02:11:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.hobbyfarms.com\/image_transfer\/bee-keeping\/varroa-mites_250.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Deb Brandt-Buehler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@hobbyfarms\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@hobbyfarms\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Deb Brandt-Buehler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Deb Brandt-Buehler\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/#\/schema\/person\/dd2df4074097be1f01e704b4e66c51cc\"},\"headline\":\"Bee and Hive Problems\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-18T19:11:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-29T02:11:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\"},\"wordCount\":566,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/img.hobbyfarms.com\/image_transfer\/bee-keeping\/varroa-mites_250.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Urban Farming\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/bee-and-hive-problems\/\",\"name\":\"Bee and Hive Problems - 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