There are a lot of options for varroa mite management with different methods to try to combat such a destructive pest. The best way to reduce the threat of varroa mites is to implement multiple practices to better strengthen your hives. Using preventative, mechanical, and chemical methods to control varroa mites will help with long-term pest prevention.
Prevention
One way to limit varroa exposure is by ensuring your colonies are strong and have all the resources they need to defend themselves. Good nutrition (honey and pollen stores) can help your bees stay healthy and strong, allowing them to properly defend themselves against potential varroa infestations. Nutritionally stressed bees are the most susceptible to varroa mites and are more likely to perish during the winter.
Prevention is key with pest management. Ways to help prevent varroa mites from spreading through your apiary include:
- Preventing drift (different colored boxes, keeping hives at least three to six feet apart, staggering hive placement, place landmarks/visual cues around hives, robbing screens).
- Using mite resistant bees. Russian bees and varroa sensitive honeybees display more grooming behavior, making them more resilient to varroa mite infestations.
- A break in the brood. Breaking a brood cycle by excluding the queen for a few weeks, allowing all the brood to fully develop before putting her back in.
Mechanical
The next step after preventative measures is mechanical removal. These methods work when you have varroa mites in your hives and don’t want to use chemical methods to kill them.
- Drone brood removal to lure and remove varroa mites. Drone brood is more attractive to varroa mites (longer periods in the capped cell means more reproductive cycles for the varroa mite). Using special drone frames to act as a lure and then destroying the frame of brood is a common tool for mite management.
- Implementation of a screened bottom board. This allows any loose mites to fall through to the bottom of the hive, becoming stuck beneath the screen bottom.
- Brood comb modification and rotation.
- Sprinkling powdered sugar on your bees. Powdered sugar helps remove mites by stimulating grooming behavior.
Chemical
Chemical removal methods are often very effective, especially when working in tandem with mechanical methods. There are a variety of proactive treatments. If treating, you will want to be sure to read the label carefully and to follow the directions. The first and most important thing is to check your hives regularly for mites and to treat them when you deem necessary. Some treatments include:
Combining different treatment methods from prevention, mechanical removal, and chemical removal can give your bees their best defense against varroa mites.
