This document summarizes information about parasitic mites that affect honey bees, including tracheal mites and varroa mites. It provides details on the lifecycles and symptoms caused by each mite, as well as integrated pest management strategies for controlling mite populations such as using resistant bee stocks, grease patties, essential oils, and chemical treatments. Monitoring mite levels is important and can be done with methods like sticky boards, sugar shakes, or alcohol washes. Treatment options aim to keep mite populations low going into winter.

1. Parasitic Mites and
the Honey Bee

2. First detected in North Carolina in 1984.
Scars the lining of the trachea and the bee usually
ends up malnourished or starves to death.
This parasite is also in the mite family.
This mite is too small to be seen with the human eye.
Tracheal Mites

3. Tracheal Mite Symptoms
Loss of colony in late winter/early spring when hive has
plenty of food.
Slow buildup in spring.
Sudden colony death when you can eliminate most other
causes.
A colony may be infected for years with no symptoms.
Requires a microscopic dissection of the bee to make an
accurate diagnosis.

4. Tracheal Mites IPM
– Tracheal Mite Resistant Bees
Some bees have a natural resistance
– Grease patties:
A mix of vegetable shortening
and sugar (2:1).
Shown to have a moderate
effect.

5. Menthol Crystals
A common element in candy, shaving cream, and other
commercial product.
Don’t use during a honey flow.
Will not get rid of mites but will
drop the levels down.

6. Chemical Treatments
Apiguard, Api Life VAR, and Mite Away II
These are also varroa treatments.

7. Tracheal Mite Treatments
No real need for miticide treatments.
Current thinking is bees have built up a
resistance.
If treatment needed, use grease patties.
Next step would be menthol.

8. Varroa Mites
Member of the tick family
Invaded the US in the mid
1980’s
Most of the world's honey bee
population is infected (except
for a few remote islands).
Biggest economic impact of all
bee parasites.Varroa Destructor

9. Varroa Mites
 The female mite will
attach itself to an
adult bee.
 Prefers drones cells.
 Sucks the hemolymph
fluid (blood) from the
bee.
 Leads to other
diseases by
transferring RNA
viruses such as the
deformed wing virus.

10. Deformed Wing Virus is spread
by varroa

11. Varroa Lifecycle

12. Checking Varroa Infestation Levels
Visual observation of the hive
- Do you see deformed
bees/wings?
- Do you see a lot of dead bees?
- Do you see varroa mites on
any bees?

13. Sticky board method
Need a screened bottom board.
Requires you buy/make a sticky pad to do count.
Gets you an easy estimate.
The general goal is to keep under 10 mite/drop per day.
Checking Varroa Infestation Levels

15. Checking Varroa Infestation Levels
Sugar Shake Method
Requires you to make a
shake container
You start with a set amount
of bees (about 300 is a good
number)- avoid including the
queen
Better accuracy in varroa
count

16. 1qt wide mouth
canning jar with a #8
screen in the lid band,
10X sugar, 1/2 cup
measuring cup, spray
bottle, white paper
plate and pen. All the
components fit in a
Rubbermaid tub that
is perfect for shaking
the sample into.
Sugar Shake Method

17. Checking Varroa Infestation Levels
Take a 1/2 cup of nurse bees from a frame
in the center of the brood nest. The frame
should contain capped and uncapped
brood. Be careful not to take the queen.

18. Add sample to a 1qt wide mouth Ball
jar containing 2Tbsp powdered
sugar. The lid band has a circle of #8
hardware cloth pressed in it.

19. Shake, shake, shake.
Spray plate with water to dissolve
sugar and reveal mites.
Count mites.

20. The sample bees are returned to their
hive, a little dusty but none the worse
for wear.
Their sisters will clean them up good
as new.

21. Understanding Mite Count:
Sugar Shake Method
Before supering – April/May
Treat when levels are 2-3 mites/sample
Mid flow (optional) –June/July
Remove crop and treat when 10 or more mites/sample
Post honey flow before final fall brood rearing – Aug/Sept
Treat when levels are 10-12 mites/sample
These thresholds assume normal size colonies with brood

22. Checking Varroa Infestation Levels
Alcohol Wash
- Uses the same technique as the sugar shake but it
kills the bees
- It is essential that the queen not be included in the
sample
- It requires that a “shaker vessel” be made
- It is easier to count the mites

23. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
You’ll hear this term a lot
This is your program to control pests and diseases
IPM can be either chemical or non-chemical
Calendar sensitive
Encompasses queen traits

24. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

25. Treatment of Varroa Mites
Aim is to have the minimum Varroa population by
winter
Screened Bottom Boards
- Easy to use.
- May be left on year-round.
- Does not effect the honey in the hive.
- Combats other pests, not just varroa.
- NOT effective against varroa by itself—mostly for
monitoring level of varroa infestation.

27. Treatment of Varroa Mites
Sugar Shake or Dusting
- Pouring powdered sugar through the hive.
- Mites will release and fall off bees.
- Moderate effectiveness; use with a screened bottom.
- Use in the spring every 5-7 days for at least a month
- More time intensive.
- Shouldn’t be used during a honey flow?
- Less effective when bees are clustered

28. Powdered Sugar Dusting

30. Chemical Treatments
 Checkmite + (*)
 Apiguard
 Apistan strips (*)
 Api Life VAR
 Mite Away II
 And many others
* No longer
effective against
varroa mites

31. Chemical Treatments
Apiguard
Api Life VAR
Mite Away II
Over time mites grow resistant to
Chemical treatments

32. Chemical Treatments
Things to Consider
Come up with a plan.
Research the product.
Don’t use during a honey flow.
Most treatments are temperature
sensitive.
Check to see if mites have become
tolerant!!!!
Checkout the treatment cycle. Most are
time and season dependent.

33. Naturally occurring chemicals
-Essential oils, especially lemon, mint, and thyme oil
-Oxalic acid applied as a vapor or trickling method
-Formic acid as vapor or pads

34. Oxalic Acid
- Sold in hardware stores as a wood bleach
- Oxalic acid applied as a vapor or trickling method

35. Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS) –
Uses formic acid which naturally
occurs in honey.
Can be used with honey supers on.
Kills 95% of mites that are capped.
Only one treatment required.

36.  HopGuard – This is generally recognized as a safe food
additive.
Hopguard is an extract from the Hop plant.
Cardboard strips impregnated with the extract are hung
between frames using two strips per 10 frames.
Up to three applications can be applied per year..

37. Controlling mites using vaporized mineral oil:

38. Local “Survivor” Stock
Local bees from:
Swarms
Bees raised by local beekeepers

39. Behavioral Methods
Bee race selection
- Minnesota Hygienic--Varroa resistant Italians
- Russians are 1/3 to ½ less susceptible to mite
reproduction.
VSH—Varroa Sensitive Hygienic behavior

40. IMPORTANT!
Never put chemical treatments on a hive
when there are honey supers on--
(unless the packaging specifically says it is
safe to do so).

41. http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/PDFs/AGRS116.pdf