What would we do in the Philippines without Oxalic Acid fuming. Cheaply available in the market. Easy to use, 90% plus kill rate on mites an...
What would we do in the Philippines without Oxalic Acid fuming. Cheaply available in the market. Easy to use, 90% plus kill rate on mites and no adverse effects on the bees.
I have used 2 methods for fuming. Both of which require a screened bottom board.
I have used 2 methods for fuming. Both of which require a screened bottom board.
- A can with a candle under it. Cut a slot so you can lite the candle and punch a few holes in the side of the can for oxygen. Place the powder on top and lite the candle. Downside is you need to get close to blow out the candle.
- A high power incandescent light bulb. The kind with a flat top used in bathrooms. Mount it upside down. Cover it with a piece of wood with holes drilled at an angle that will not allow the light through directly but let the vapor go up.
When I got my Philippine bees they were a mess. Varroa clearly visible on the adults and Deformed Wing Virus prevalent. Just a fact of life here due to Varroa being endemic in Apis Cerana.
A couple of Philippine specific issues with treatment...
- Vapor will kill all the mites except those in capped brood. Brood is reared year round in the Philippines so there is no "good time" to treat with vapor.
- Treat once a week for 3 weeks. Then monthly.
- You can not get rid of Varroa as it is endemic here and the bees will bring it back from contact with Apis Cerana. Monthly re-treatment is required in perpetuity.
- All the diseases of my bees I have encountered used Varroa as a vector. If you can keep Varroa down then everything else will fall into place.
- Working towards a 4.9mm cell size will help keep Varroa under control but it is only part of the solution
- The Apis Cerana here in the Philippines is smaller than the Apis Cerana that infected the USA and New Zealand with Varroa. It is likely that the Varroa here will consider all Western Honey Bee brood as drone, even those below 4.9mm. So while 4.9 has become the magic number in the USA for making Varroa manageable we are dealing with a different race of Varroa.
Cell size of the Apis Cerana in the Philippine
Apis Cerana that infected the USA and New Zealand is from India or possibly China or Japan...
Smallest possible Western Honey Bee is 4.5mm with most folks only able to get the bees to regress to 4.8 or 4.9 . Michael Bush and Dee Lusby have been trying for natural comb for many years and this has been their experience. There is no reason to think that the specific race of Varroa in the Philippines will ever preferentially target Western Honey Bee drones. Treatment will be ongoing and necessary with no likely hood of a solution unless a breed of bees can be developed that will remove the mites by grooming.
Another solution, but one that is difficult to find the parts for here, is an electrical vaporizer.
Another solution, but one that is difficult to find the parts for here, is an electrical vaporizer.
And from New Zealand
And my favorite bee expert. Don the Fat Beeman...
