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Varroa mites - what do I need to do?

by Flow Hive 4 min read

Beekeepers around the world have been dealing with varroa for decades. Today there are a number of ways to deal with the mites - treatments are easy to apply, and with a bit of help, your bees will be in the best position to tackle the mites effectively. We’ve compiled this simple guide to help you give your bees the best care possible.

1. Keep your bees healthy

The first line of defence against most honeybee pests and diseases is the health of the colony. A weak colony is at a higher risk of being taken out by varroa - however, even a really strong hive will still succumb if you don’t take steps to help them.

Luckily bees do most of the work, but as a beekeeper, one of the most important things you can do to help is to know your bees well - regular brood inspections are the best way to do this. Make varroa monitoring a part of your inspection routine and keep records to track changes in your colonies over time.

It’s also important to make sure your hive registration is up to date. To learn more about bee health, check out our beekeeping blogs, the pests and diseases info, and our online beekeeping course.

2. Monitor your hives for varroa mites

There are a few different methods you can use to monitor your colonies for varroa. These can be incorporated into your regular brood inspections.

This article contains useful information on how often you should monitor. In many jurisdictions (including all of Australia), you should notify state bodies if you find mites.

: This method is a quick and effective way of detecting varroa mites. It involves taking a sample of adult bees from the hive and washing them with alcohol.

: This method works on a similar basis to the alcohol wash method, but is considered less effective. Although the sugar shake has been widely believed not to kill bees, it's been discovered that this method results in bee mortality several days after application.

: Because varroa mites prefer to reproduce on drone brood, uncapping drone cells is a good way to check for varroa.

: Putting a sticky mat at the base of a hive can help to detect mites, but should be used in conjunction with other more effective monitoring techniques.

The Flow Super Lifter makes inspections and treatments so much easier.

3. Apply treatments when necessary

There are a number of ways to help keep varroa mite numbers in check. Some of these are preventative techniques, like providing a brood break, uncapping drone brood, or introducing varroa-resistant genes into your colonies. If the mite levels get too high, stronger treatments will usually be needed to help the colony survive. A combination of different tactics is usually advisable, depending on your specific region and your own requirements.

There are a number of issues to consider when choosing when to treat against varroa, and what control to implement. In temperate climates, it’s often recommended to treat for mites in spring to help the bees through their busiest period, and again in the autumn after the last honey flow. Varroa numbers should be low coming into winter in order to increase colonies’ survival chances. Treating all the hives in an apiary simultaneously and coordinating treatment with other beekeepers in the area helps to reduce the chances of the mites quickly reinfecting treated hives.

NSW DPI provides a table for determining the threshold percentage of mites at which treatment is recommended.

This decision tool for Australian beekeepers from NSW DPI can be useful in choopsing a treatment option.
You can find useful resources in this varroa management guide from the Honeybee Health Coalition, including a handy decision tool for US beekeepers.
Also see our article on how beekeepers around the world manage varroa for more information.

Here’s a video from Tocal College NSW explaining how to treat varroa using Formic Pro® strips. This treatment can be applied in seconds if you use the Flow Super Lifter to crack open your hive.

Note that formic acid treatments are temperature-sensitive. Chemical controls should only be used as indicated, all label directions and safety precautions should be followed. Formic Pro strips must be left in the hive for 7 days, after that they can be left in the hive until removed by the beekeeper. Beekeepers using this treatment typically apply it once or twice per season (spring and autumn), with the schedule depending on factors like mite load and climate.

: Be sure to do another mite count after completing a treatment so that you can measure how effective it was.

Resources/Links

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