Hi. We’re new to beekeeping and inspecting our tray. We have had our bees almost two weeks. Can anyone give some insight on what we are seeing here on the tray?
!
Hello and welcome!
I see a bunch of wax scales/flakes, pollen, and mold which is a sign they’re foraging and building comb. Some moisture and mold are expected this time of year.
Can’t definitely see any larvae, mites or bee parts but maybe there are some in there but a few wouldn’t be unexpected, just stay on it.
If you don’t already have a plan to deal with varroa, you still have some time to decide how you’re going to deal with them.
2 Likes
Thank you so much!! I do see a few bee parts in there, but didn’t see larvae or mites as of yet. What would the bee parts indicate? Do you have a preferred approach to dealing with varroa? Something as natural as possible?
Hi and welcome! Sometimes bees die in the hive, so undertaker bees carry them out - but might take off a leg in the process 
Or, somebody tried to get in who didn’t belong there, and got rumbled.
I use Randy Oliver’s oxalic acid ‘shop towel’ method:
—————
For one Shop towel (thick blue paper towels used in garages and workshops, available at hardware stores):
18g OA
14.6 mL glycerine
Dissolve together over med-low heat & remove - don’t allow to bubble, don’t get it on your skin, don’t breathe steam or let it get in your eyes!
Soak 1 towel in warm solution until absorbed & lay out on an acid-resistant surface to cool & dry 24 hours - use gloves!
Divide towel in half & place both halves spaced apart on top bars of brood chamber just prior to supering
Use one whole towel per colony. Monitor for signs of agitation and effect on queen…may cause some brood death
Mite drop occurs continuously over 50-60 day span & eliminates need for repeated OAV treatments
———-
OA stands for oxalic acid, which is found in many plants and is used as wood bleach. It can be found cheaply at your local hardware store. OAV is oxalic acid vapor, administered using a long wand stuck into the bottom of the hive through the entrance or rear tray area and connected to a tractor battery to heat up the OA dose in the cup at the end - or via an even more expensive all-in-one vaporizer. This was the standard method of OA treatment before Randy began experimenting with OA-imbued thick paper towel material for a timed-release effect. The bees chew the towel into bits and carry these out of the hive, spreading the OA around. The OA causes mites to drop off of bees and die, but doesn’t harm the bees. I used to do the vapor method and it works well, but the towels are just way easier.
It’s still important to monitor, because late summer & early fall are when mite populations rise, so a colony may need additional treatment like Apivar strips or OAV at that point.
2 Likes