Varroa Mites. Sharon Dobesh KSU Plant Pathology Department KSU Entomology (Ancillary Faculty) Konza Beekeepers Association August 11, 2015

Transcription

1 Varroa Mites Sharon Dobesh KSU Plant Pathology Department KSU Entomology (Ancillary Faculty) Konza Beekeepers Association August 11, 2015

2 History Varroa Mite Found in US in 1987 First notice when colonies transported from Florida to Wisconsin failed first record Florida likely initial introduction Spot check found varroa in over a dozen states Spread rapidly throughout US in packages and hive movement Associated with transmitting over 20 viruses Blamed largely for the disappearance of feral bees in 1980s-1990s

3 Biology (Life Cycle)

4 Two Life Stages - Phoretic Phoretic Mature varroa is attached to an adult bee and survives on the bee s hemolymph (blood) Mites may change hosts often Picks up and transmits diseases Falls off due to old age natural mite drop Being bitten/bee grooming Only females survive outside the cells in the phoretic stage

5 Two Life Stages - Reproductive Reproductive Begins when an adult female is ready to lay eggs Moves into the cell of developing bee larva Lays 1 male (unfertilized) egg and 4-6 female (fertilized) eggs Females live 2-3 months in the summer, 5-8 months in the fall Each female produces 1.2 viable mature female offspring per worker cell invaded. They produce 2.2 per cell on drone brood, but the time takes a little longer.

6 Mites Some will be nearly invisible to the naked eye

7 CCD Link Believed to be a combination of 2 or more of the following: Pesticides Pests (mites, viruses, nosema, etc.) Nutritional deficiencies Tends to be more prevalent in Commercial operations

8 Diseases Carried/Discovered Since 2009 USDA has taken samples from 27 states. The most prevalent viruses include: Black Queen Cell Virus (85%) Deformed Wing Virus (80%) Lake Sinai Virus 2 (20%) Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (18%) Kashmir Bee Virus (15%) Israel(i) Acute Paralysis Virus (10%) Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (8%) Slow Bee Paralysis Virus (2%) Sac Brood

9 Monitoring Powdered Sugar Roll 300 adult bees, 1 ½ tsp. powdered Sugar >0.12 mites/bee = treat before winter >0.25 mites/bee = perish over winter Ether Roll/Alcohol wash Sticky Board Install sticky board for 24 hours Use natural drop when brood is present Can use accelerators (mitecides) Brood sampling with a cappings fork

10 When to treat When honey supers are in place, use the following guidelines:

11 IPM Controls Screened Bottom Boards Sticky Boards Drone Frame

12 Screened Bottom Boards Can use for year-round ventilation and mite drop Non-chemical Adds more benefits than mite control

13 Sticky Boards Use for counts, can use with accelerators or natural drop Can be homemade with shortening or petroleum jelly to make them reusable

14 Drone Frames Comes in Medium and Deep frame sizes Drone only sized cells Can freeze and reuse Be sure to dispose of brood and wax not on the ground around hives

15 Trap Frames Can use a modified frame Scientificbeekeeping.com 2 ½ of foundation/modified top bar under Oliver Drone Trap Frame Foundationless frame will also produce drone brood

16 Chemical Controls Dadant 2014 Catalog

17 Apiguard 25% Thymol (soft chemical) Should be applied in the fall Temps F 2 Treatments: 1 st : days 2 nd : 2-4 weeks

18 ApiLife Var 74% Thymol with other natural oils (soft chemical) Treat with a wafer every 7-10 days three times to complete treatment Most effective at daytime temps of 65 F

19 Mite Away Quick Strips Formic Acid (soft chemical) Tricky to administer Caustic Lay strips across frames for 7 days with daytime temps of F (BMBF)/ F (ML)* *Read Labels!

20 HopGuard 16% Potassium Salt of hop beta acids (soft chem) KS Section 18 KDA needs Section 18 inspections Contact Judy Glass

21 Oxalic Acid 100% Oxalic Acid Dihydrate (soft chemical) Only available from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Treat when little/no brood is present Spring/Fall Label has 3 treatment methods MUST follow label directions exactly

22 Apivar Amitraz (hard chemical) Normally used for fall treatment Leave on hive days Works by contact only Cannot be used with honey supers on

23 Apistan 10% Fluvalinate (hard chemical) Resistance does exist to Apistan less than CheckMite + Treat for days Temps above 50 F Spring or fall treatment

24 CheckMite+ 10% Coumaphos (hard chemical) Is approved for sale in Kansas Resistance exists in some colonies In some states resistance is prevalent, so sales is prohibited AZ, CA, CO, NC require a Pesticide License Number before purchase

25 Determining Resistance Fact Sheet from Dr. J. Pettis (handout) 23_pettistest.htm

26 Drift Watch Free online registrations Protect your hives Renews annually

27 DriftWatch for Beekeepers

28 Advantanges to Registering Open Communication with pesticide applicators of your hive locations You don t have to do anything, but register your site

29 Concern about registering Everyone will know where my hives are Theft Vandalism Etc.

30 Additional Option Sensitive Crop Grown Here Available at the KSU Bookstore =298&pubId=1729 Product #S151 $21.10 if you pick them up at Umberger Hall Downloadable PDF available - Free

31 Upgrades to driftwatch Register online Update your own listings online One profile for all site listings Beekeepers have their own listings that are distinctively marked No longer need paper signature on file And others..

32 Things that are the same Crops need to be grown for sale to be listed Producers (Beekeepers) need to keep their own sites/records updated Communication to applicators

33 Difference No Contact Me section Under the sensitive crops site producers could indicate if they wanted an applicator to contact them if there were going to be spraying in an area. This allowed growers/beekeepers to take actions such as closing hives on day of spray/covering sensitive crops, closing greenhouses, etc.

34 Another Difference This is a 2-step system 1. Create an Account 2. Submit/Register your site Let s get started.

35 Kansas Department of Agriculture Choose Pesticide & Fertilizer Program from the drop-down menu

36 KDA Divisions & Programs Pesticide and Fertilizer Program

37 Driftwatch

38 DriftWatch Sign Up Step 1-Create an Account

39 Pay Attention to this

40 Check your

41 Verified

42 Go To My Location This maps you to where your computer location is. My home looks like the following slide, you may need to tell the computer where to go by entering the address.

43

44 Once approved you will also receive a confirmation .

45 Mapping Sites There are options to draw your own maps for sites, especially fields for cropping systems. You can submit several sites/maps, they do not need to be combined into one. Start/Stop dates allow you to enter all sites during the year in one setting at the computer. All this can be done under one account

46 Manhattan, KS These 7 marked sites represent only 2 beekeepers

47 Problems Logan Brown -Primary Contact is here in Kansas! *passwords *new sites/maps *account issues *any others? *No need to contact Purdue

48 Kansas Driftwatch Contact Logan Brown Kansas Department of Agriculture 1320 Research Park Drive Manhattan, KS Phone:

49 Photo Credits Scientificbeekeeping.com Driftwatch.com Agriculture.ks.gov extension.org

50 Any Questions? Thank you for your attention! For questions contact me at: Sharon Dobesh