Varroa Mites and Hive Beetles and the Alabama Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting

I am processing a varroa mite count in my hive to determine whether this honeybee pest is at a level that poses a danger to the health of the hive.  I do this by placing a sticky board under the screened bottom board and count how many mites fall onto it after 24 hours.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090701.htm

Once the results are known, standard beekeeping practice is to treat the hive.  However, one beekeeper says hogwash.  Even if the count is 50 mites or less (the number where treatment is not recommended), a hive could still have a significant number of mites that are larvae stage in the drone cells.  He recommends an entirely different method for determining the number of mites:

Varroa Mites

I like the photography method and plan on trying it before making any treatment decisions.  Of course, the best treatment is to have a strong hygienic queen bee, which the American bees are known to be, and letting the bees take care of the mites.

I did have hive beetles when I opened my hive yesterday.  Another pest, #@!!!#.  It is not the adult hive beetle that is the problem, it is the larvae that they lay in the honeybees cell that can destroy the hive.  The treatment for this is to eliminate as many hive beetles as possible.  But the traps vary in ease of management as well as effectiveness.  I think I want this type of beetle trap - it is reusable and seems very effective.

Hive Beetle Treatment and Trap


Finally, the Alabama Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting is next weekend in Montgomery AL.  My oldest daughter, who is currently living in Japan, will be home visiting and attending the meeting with me.  I'm taking time to enjoy her visit plus learn more about honeybee hive management.  I have also signed up to become a certified beekeeper by taking the first step:  Apprentice Beekeeper.  There are four steps:

1) Must be a registered beekeeper in Alabama and their hives must be registered with the Alabama Dept of Agriculture and Industries.  Beekeeping is a highly regulated industry - with reason - it is a food product.  You cannot keep hives with registering them with the state.  It costs all of $10 to register.

2)  Must own at least one colony of honey bees for at least one year before taking the exams.  My hive was started in May this year.  I'm well on my way.

3)  Must score a 70% or higher on a written exam:  there is a reading list, beekeeping classes, materials provided for reference.

4) Must score a 70% or higher on a practical exam by: describing the physical parts of the beehive, igniting and properly using a smoker, recognizing the various stages of brood, differentiating castes and honey cells, describing the layout of the brood nest (placement of honey, pollen, brood), recognizing propolis and its functions.

After I complete the Apprentice Beekeeper certification, then I am to move to the next level of certification.  The culmination of several years of study and practice results in Master Beekeeper certification.