I suspect my hive has been infested by varroa mites. Just wondering if I should harvest all the honey before I apply the Bayvarol strips…
The way I understand it is the honey you harvest before you treat is safe to eat. How much you take is up to your judgment as to whether you’re comfortable with feeding your bees should you take too much.
I watched a few videos of The Canadian Bee Vlog. He takes ALL the honey, then commences feeding with sugar syrup. I think he works purely on economics.
1 Like
Yes, in my opinion, ideally you should if it is for human consumption. However, my understanding is that no measurable levels of permethrin (the active ingredient) have been found in honey even with strips in place. Personally, I would prefer to treat first, then put the super on later. If the bees were running out of brood box space without a super, I might add a second deep or medium, and feed the honey from that back to the bees later in the year when there is a nectar dearth.
1 Like
Did anyone know if there’s any possibility that the varroa mites can be in the honey?
I doubt that they would be there in any numbers. They are much more interested in brood/larvae and adult bees than honey. If you are concerned, you can always strain the honey through a fine mesh kitchen strainer (or a new pair of ladies’ tights in the UK!) to remove the little blighters.
1 Like
You’re certainly in Varroa country, so your hive is very likely infested. Are you still getting zero on your washes? If you haven’t done any monitoring yet, you’re flying blind.
Numbers rapidly climb without treatment, so you need to know when you’ve reached/exceeded threshold so you can treat to knock numbers down again.
I’ve seen untreated hives collapse within six months. That’s much faster than the initial two year estimate we were given.
Depending on your choice of treatment, you may have to remove supers for the duration of the treatment or longer, so harvesting makes sense to avoid the problems of storing full supers i.e. ants, wax moth, small hive beetle etc.
When the label says to remove supers, it refers to supers of honey for human consumption. You can have supers for bee consumption that can stay on for the bees. As long as the box and frames are clearly marked so they are not used for human food, mistakes are less likely. I use different sized supers.
As for mites in the honey, @Dawn_SD is spot on. They are easily screened out. I would use my stainless steel double mesh filter, but Dawn’s pantyhose will work very well.
Mike
2 Likes
You’re correct; honey harvested before treating the bees is safe to eat. How much honey you take depends on your comfort with feeding the bees afterward. The Canadian Bee Vlog approach, where all the honey is taken and bees are fed sugar syrup, seems to prioritize economic efficiency.
2 Likes
Thank you very much for all of your replies. Really appreciate your help.
2 Likes