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Economic

Thresholds
&
IPM
Strategy
(For varroa mites)
IPM – Integrated Pest
Management
IPM
 IPM is a decision-making process for control of
PESTS

 PEST = pathogens, parasites, predators (3 P’s) of


honey bees, their colonies &/or products

 Bee Mites have changed the face of beekeeping


– no longer bee-havers

 We are management specialists!


Four Fundamental Strategies
for Pest Management
• Do nothing
• Reduce numbers of pest
• Reduce susceptibility of the host
• Use combinations of the last two
Goals to Focus on
When Developing a
Pest Management Plan
• Reduce pest status
• Conserve environmental quality
• Accept tolerable pest densities
• Improve net profits
• Timing…NOT calendar treatments
Implementation of Pest
Management Strategies

• Pest identification
• Pest population assessment
• Economic evaluation*
• Timing of controls
* Is economic damage possible/imminent?
How to Achieve These
Goals
• Efficient sampling methods
• Valid decision guidelines
• Integrating a number of effective
tactics for an overall plan of attack
• Acceptance of higher mite levels
IPM in Practice

We MUST
- Understand bee/mite life
cycle
- be able to ID mite &
predict #
Varroa mite – a pest or vector?

K-Wing or Wingless bees of value?


Adult female mite
enters larval cell as it
completes development.
She hides on side wall
as pre-pupa spins cocoon

Illustration series from Martin


IN: Mites of Honey Bees
Dadant & Sons, Inc 2001
In 60 hours she lays
1st egg (male).
After 24 hours she lays
female egg one every
24 hours
Her son (male)
develops feeding
on pupa & mates
w/ sister as she
matures
When adult bee
emerges 1.3 adult
female mites are
mature – if eggs
on drone 3X are mature
SOLUTION?
Control Collapse w/ Pesticides

“Resistant”
mites increase
with each
generation
Due to:
(1)selection
pressure
(2)Sub-optimal
exposure
Economic Threshold
80
Avoid exceeding economic
70 injury level

60
EIL
Apply controls
50

40 ET
30 Average
20 density
10

Time
Monitoring

• Varroa mite levels fluctuate within bee colonies


during the season and between seasons. Knowing
how many mites are present and how quickly their
population is increasing [via monitoring] enables the
beekeeper to determine what action, if any, should
be taken to control Varroa mite levels.
• Growth rate depends on
– IPM tactics used
– Host colony genetics
– Environment
– Infestation from neighboring hives
3 Basic ways to Monitor Mites

1. ON BROOD
Impale capped drone pupae
with capping scratcher and
count number of cells
infested
= % brood infested

Count # brood infested


not total mite count
3 Basic ways to Monitor Mites
2. Natural mite drop
Sticky Board
Mites dropped over three days captured on
sticky/vaseline-coated board
= average mite drop/day
(Penn State Sampling Board)

2
mites
3 Basic ways to Monitor Mites
3. Mites on adult bees
Sugar roll
Shake mites off nurse bees
using powdered sugar
= # mites/bee or
# mites/sample (~300
bees)
Sugar shake method
• Collecting a sample of adult bees (1/2 cup or
approximately 300) from the brood area and
then vigorously shaking the sample with
powdered sugar (for 1 minute) causes the
majority of mites (>90%) to dislodge from
their hosts. We can then shake out the mites
onto a light colored collecting dish and count
the mites – if we know the number of bees in
our sample we then know # Mites/Bee
Sampling Equipment
Powdered sugar
Powdered sugar
Measuring cup tablespoon
(marked at ½ cup)
tablespoon

White [mite]
counting dish

Wide mouth
quart Mason jar
w/ modified lid
(8 mesh screen)
Colony to sample

for powdered sugar sampling


Obtaining Bee Sample

Step 1: Open colony to brood cluster – Select 1 or more


frames w/ open brood & nurse bees - look to be certain
queen is not on frame
Obtaining
Bee Sample 2
Step 2: Shake bees from
1-3 brood frames into 5
gallon bucket or plastic
wash basin – we prefer
if bees are collected from
3 different frames but risk
of queen injury is greater
Obtaining Bee Sample 3

Step 3: Scoop up a ½ cup sample of bees (~300 adults)


from bucket – if you shake bucket, bees will clump
together for ease of obtaining bee sample
Obtaining Bee Sample 4
Modified lid (screen mesh
replaces solid top)

Step 4: Transfer ½ cup bees to wide mouth mason jar


and screw on lid with modified 8 mesh screening
Add powdered sugar

Push powdered sugar


through lid mesh

Step 5: Add 1-2 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar to


bees in the sample jar through modified screened lid
Powder sugaring the bee sample

Step 6: Shake the sample


vigorously for 1-2 minutes to
distribute the powdered sugar
over the bees – if bees not
covered add more sugar.
Keep jar vertical when shaking.
Shaking
out the
mites
Mites (dark spots) in sugar

Step 7: Invert jar over a


white dish and vigorously
shake mites and sugar from
jar – shake until no mites or
powder sugar comes out
Optional reshake with additional sugar
Add another ½ tablespoon of
powdered sugar and reshake
for one minute. Shake out
sugar w/ mites until no more
drop -- count total number
of mites
Calculate Number of mites/bee
Step 8: You can estimate ~300
in 1/2 cup and release sugar coated
back into their hive.
OR
To get a more accurate
count (and see if more mites
are present) kill the bees w/
alcohol or soap to wash then
Strain sample to count
number of bees -- divide
number of mites by # bees
= # mites/bees
NOTE: Shaking in powdered sugar does not harm the bees. They will
clean off the powdered sugar and return to normal duties after release.
Increasing count accuracy -
optional
• Add alcohol or soapy water into
mason jar and shake well
• Pour through double strainer
– 1 larger mesh to catch bees
– 2nd of fine mesh (white) to catch
mites
• Count mites and count # of bees
r
– # mite washed + # mites shaken
divided by total # bees =
# mites/bee

Cloth below strainer


# Mites/Bee
• The sugar shake # of shaken mites or your
calculated estimate of # Mites/Bee is a
“guesstimate” of the level of mites in the bee
colony. It can be used to make a decision on
further treatment needs &/or to assess past
treatment effectiveness. It will enable you to
monitor the development of mites over the
season and one season to the next.
Deciding on what action needs to
be taken
 Step 9: When was sample taken?
Before supering – September/October
Treat when levels are 2-3 mites/sample (0.006 – 0.01
mites/bee)

Minor flow (optional) –April/May


Remove crop and treat when 10 or more mites/sample (0.05
mites/bee)

Post honey flow (slow brood rearing) – Jan/Feb


Treat when levels are 10-12 mites/sample (>0.05 mites/bee)

These thresholds assume normal size colonies with brood


Threshold
 An acceptable level of pests [mites] –
determine necessity of further
controls
 A number to use to evaluate mite
control efficacy efforts
 Allows estimation of risk if no
pesticide chemical is integrated into
the control
 The basis for IPM – a decision process
utilizing modern pest control practices
IPM Mite Control Triangle
Varroa Mites – cultural control
• Apiary site location
• Comb culling
• Small-sized cell base
• Requeening w/ Resistant (tolerant)
stock
– Hygienic queen stock
– SMR (surpressed mite resistance)
– Russian stock

From Martin: In Mites


of the Honey Bee
Varroa Mites – physical control
• Screened bottom boards (season long)
• Drone brood trapping (1X to 8X)
• Heat (104-110◦F for 4 hrs)
Varroa Mites – physical control

10-20% effective

Screened bottom board


Varroa Mites – biological control
• No identified control agent so far
• Best choice seems to be a virus or fungus

Metarhizium (fungus)
Varroa Mites – Chemical control
 Miticides - Apistan®; Checkmite+®; Amitraz®
 Formic acid - Apicure®; Mite-Away II®
 Other acids (acetic; oxalic)
 Essential oils
Thymol Api Life VAR® [thymol + others]; ApiGuard®
Others -thyme, citronella, clove, camphor, eucalyptol
 Semiochemicals – Nasanov gland pheromones +
others
 Mineral/vegetable oil (FGMO), esters
Grease patties; oil machines, Sucrocide ®
 Drying agents
Diatomaceous earth, talc, powdered sugar
For Additional Information
• See website http://MAAREC.cas.psu.edu
• http://www.odt.co.nz/news/farming/16001/fungus-may-be-
weapon-against-varroa-mites
• Local practices of SLU-EISSIF

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