Alcohol Wash to Detect Varroa Mites: Sacrificing Bees for the Greater Good | The Bush Bee Man

[@brianberrill9385]

Hi you have to shake fairly vigorously for 4 minutes in NSW before checking. I use a sideways back and forth roll. (Still clear in Orange NSW. )

[@kdkurabees]

Thanks for doing these videos on the varroa mites. I live in Brisbane. We don’t have them here yet. But like you we know they are coming. Asked the people up here who give us direction as to what we can use on the mites. They are sitting on their hands. We need someone to tell us what do we use to treat them with. Keep up the videos Bush Bee Man. 👍👍

[@allanmorgan5660]

Hey mate they are spending all the money first ,when that done ,they start blaming the Beekeepers for not completing Alcohol washes Sugar shakes etc ,all this is doing is letting the mites breed up to levels where sugar shakes alcohol washes etc will 10%of your hive testing is a joke just a paper chase management for the plan of doing something.wasting money on chasing senseless info .15months 130million in funds and no proactive response eradication/management should have been designed together . Believe me they are just going to use this to make it difficult for Beekeepers . That's what's happening right now No Varroa mite fighting fund for Beekeepers,it's going to be there cost and loss ,then they will just blame complacency and non compliance Beekeepers I Ask where is the true leadership, support, Guidelines,action,and funding to aid the Beekeepers who are unfortunately the ones in the front line ,get it right here you at least slow the infection rates down

[@allanmorgan5660]

Be very aware of the conflict of interest

[@joshuahunt5924]

Thanks for sharing and keeping the awareness up. Hopefully people pay attention.

[@justinmills8084]

I use the blue windshield fluid. It works well. After using the shaker will get dirty. Dump the fluid on a white paper towels. The white background works well to see the mites. It makes me sick that Australia has mites now.

[@sonofone1-263Bees]

You can also use 1 tsp of dawn dish washing fluid to a gallon of water as a shake fluid.

[@dravyss]

Dawn ultra seems to work best. A lot cheaper than 91* alcohol

[@denisepappas4644]

We don't have dawn in Australia

[@pondimek]

​@denisepappas4644 if you hunt around, you can find it. I'd love to learn of a common Australian brand that is as effective as dawn ultra. According to Randy Oliver it's related to anionic surfactants present in dawn (laurel sulphate/SLES).

[@denisepappas4644]

@@pondimek yes I found some on catch of the day, but imported from US and crazy expensive.

[@keithspillman]

Leave the screen cup in the container. Just use 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop up the bees and dump in the removable screen cup. That will give you about 300 bees so you can do the math IF you find mites. Screen cup is removable so you can dump the dead bees. Good luck!!!

[@AnthonySmith-m9b]

Thanks Mark , Love your content. When the varroa does turn up here in South Australia what treatments will be available for us.

[@fincarosa6767]

I've saw people use powdered sugar. And wondered if it was a good natural method. I don't find many bee keepers comment on this.

[@glynisreynolds446]

@@fincarosa6767we definitely use powdered sugar in UK instead of alcohol and it doesn’t kill the bees 😃 You can also sprinkle powdered sugar over the faces of frames - as you inspect them - this results in varroa mites being knocked off as the bees groom each other 👍 Good luck 👍🇬🇧

[@fincarosa6767]

@glynisreynolds446 that cup is $25 on Amazon!!! Id just use a old mcds cup if I planned to kill them to check for mites.

[@kingbee17able]

I do it but I hate doing it it's the way it has gone and so far no mite it is sort of upsetting but it has to be done.

[@t_4178]

powdered sugar wash works and bees live after

[@LordPenny95]

I thought Australia doesn’t have the mites or is it AFB you don’t have

[@nztasha]

I do a sugar shake instead of an alcohol to test for varroa. That way you don’t have to kill bees.

[@carolthomas473]

Recent research shows the bees still die... only it takes longer and the beek doesn't see them die... that makes it OK. Then your whole Hive is at risk and all 30,000 can die !

[@pondimek]

Sugar shakes kill bees. There's been a study done that shows that more than 95% of sugar shake bees died within 72 hours. At least alcohol wash kills them quickly.

[@pondimek]

DPI and others keep saying to use brood frames. Randy Oliver, a varroa guru in California, has shown that brood adjacent frames give better results more indicative of varroa loads. Brood adjacent frames are less likely to have the queen present as well. I think we need to learn from experience such as Randy Oliver - "we" includes DPI and other government bodies setting the rules and management approach.

[@deanmalkewich2366]

We can do hundreds of those shakes and not find a mite. They are there though. They are always there.

[@allanmorgan5660]

Hey mate 10,%of your hives the other 90%are just not there ,your looking for one mite. When sugar shake alcohol washed work is all too late infection. Levels will be extremely high .,then what,,ask Mr Oliver if They had Government support for treatments in the early stages of Varroa ,do you think it could be better managed.

[@Dstick1Spearfishing]

Lucky there is none so far 👍👌

[@kathysarmcandy1992]

Powdered sugar (cake sugar). Works the same. You can also add a drone comb foundation frame and fork the larva out to check.

[@timothyodonnell8591]

It sucks that you have to test for veroa mites. It's necessary, but still sucks.

[@davidshoemaker4437]

Yea! no mites, praying that you don't find any.