Beekeeping Mite Test Using Dawn? Alcohol Or Powdered Sugar?

Beekeeping has changed recently in how we test for mites. Today let's explore which of these works best, dawn dishwashing soap, an alcohol wash or a powdered sugar test.
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[@saltysnapdragon2567]

For those that use the dish soap method, spritzing isopropyl alcohol over the bubbles will pop all the bubbles ❤

[@susanwehe8270]

If you’re looking through the bottom of the container, the suds are not an issue

[@elaineewart6640]

Great information and thank you for showing us

[@danbowen6242]

You can use a colander and paint filter bags, eliminates all the suds as you rinse the bees and mites with fresh water - swished bees go in the colander, paint mesh filter bag under it. Rinse thoroughly and bees stay in colander, mites easy to count on filter bag.

[@garrisonbeehives5959]

What about an alcohol wash followed by the dawn with the same bees to see if there is any residual.

[@phyllisflorian3540]

Thanks, David. I used Dawn method, but let it sit before counting them - suds dissipated and I got the count.

[@lynnerousseau9676]

You can use Dawn… shake… shake.. shake… and use a 20X magnifying mirror ($10)- and mirror the bottom of the container… and it’s very easy to count the bottom.. without any suds getting in the way.

[@nathandouglass7384]

You can use a handheld propane torch over the top of the water will pop all the bubbles with the Dawn soap

[@srae1503]

The suds float on top so if you leave them in the cup, you can count them from looking at the bottom of the cup

[@beek]

Yup, maybe if the count is no so high that mites do not cover other mites, but that would be hard to film with one hand 😄

[@chuckgross6024]

Dawn may be a cheaper alternative for someone with alot of hives, I'm still going to use alcohol just because of the suds factor. Very interesting results though! Thanks David

[@CastleHives]

I’ve switched over to Dawn. Less expensive, always available.

[@dustinpotter8312]

I used to work at a laundro-mat and customers would sometimes get too much soap in the machine. We used "softener" to bust the bubbles. Dawn works on ant flushes too.

[@beek]

Not a bad idea.

[@lorivanderark9556]

You could spray vinegar on the Dawn suds, it should break them down.

[@huckleberry4487]

Thanks for the thorough explanation in the video. Is there an accepted comparison ratio in the bee community for the alcohol wash vs the powder sugar? e.g. double your number of mites if using the powdered sugar test. I get the need to sacrifice bees for the test but as a new beekeeper with one new hive (from a package), I might start with powder sugar method until the summer.

[@haroldmiller9942]

David, thank you for another great video! Have you tried white vinegar for doing the wash? I was curious if that’s as effective. It looks like the suds add some complexity and potential inaccuracy if they aren’t cleared away. Thanks again!

[@DoubleTopHoneyCo]

I thought powdered sugar was supposed to be the non-chemical method by shaking into the hive for them to be coated and they super groom themselves. Ensure to add a sticky bottom board after the shake to catch the mites. Plus they have the sugar to convert. Then an alcohol wash. So a cleanse count then alcohol count should be greatly decreased. Has worked for me. Powdered sugar isn't a release agent. Excellent test.

[@antenna69]

after the Dawn was put in a glass container the suds float to the top and you can see from looking up through the bottom

[@tjhughes66]

Propane touch for the bubbles mite help

[@joeelam1]

The dawn is what I use now, my check was real close w/ the others.

[@beek]

Cool

[@SpiderMan-pf6pu]

Did you add water to the jar after the count on the sugar sample

[@MERRLINN]

have you ever did a mite test after a powdered surger dusting?

[@dougbunn1244]

Hi David, I have a question. Do all of the bees return to the hive each night? I'm in South Alabama and recent temperatures have been 80 in the day and 50's at night. Thanks Doug

[@beek]

Hi Doug, yup, they should, but sometimes they might get caught in a storm or trapped in a flower, but 99% of the bees go back home before dark.

[@jeanettewestover]

I think a dropped or two of fabric softener will dispell the suds ...

[@SpiderMan-pf6pu]

I will go out at first light take out the Queen and give the hole hive a sugar bathtub no soap or alcohol bee free

[@j.clarkhelton7883]

A drop of fabric softener in the dawn solution should hold the soap suds to a minimum

[@jimmywarner1105]

Maybe it would have been best to look through the bottom of the cup so the suds would have stayed atop of the water while mites sank.

[@beek]

Yes like I have said to so many comments I wanted to use the plate for the video and as one guy with the camera on the tripod it would be difficult to film, but I agree.

[@ronw8052]

I thought manufactured powdered sugar was not good for the bees because of the baking properties. not supposed to use because of the baking properties. Also I thought that they removed most of the mites while grooming..

[@beek]

Store bought powdered sugar does have 10% corn starch, so ideally it's best to make your own, but for the most part that 10% doesn't hurt bees.

[@frankmachado]

Hey Dave can you just hold the tub up and count from underneath

[@beek]

With counts more than 10 it would be difficult, plus for camera purposes, tough to do.

[@lynnerousseau9676]

You can place a 20X magnifying mirror UNDER the cup… and reflect the bottom of the container… it’s is so easy to could that way… and I bet it “films great too!!” I’m not relying on my old eyes-lol..

[@CaravanFarms]

Maybe add a bit of vinegar to the soapy water to kill the foam

[@timothyshawn99]

There has got to be a way to “wash” our bees to minimize mite load without killing the bees. For instance, make them bloodless and cause the mites to go onto the adult bees and then rinsing them with water and a little dish soap. Then allowing bees to dry out and return to the hive. Has anyone tried this? If you do this often, I could see it being a sustainable way to keep mite loads in check without using poison. Obviously this is not realistic on a large scale but for someone with just a couple of hives it may be viable. Thoughts?

[@bligon11]

Does the powder sugar kill the mites?

[@AlexLakotiti]

You should have wash again the dead bees. The bees from the Dawn test, wash them with alcohol afterwards, and the dead ones from the alcohol test, wash them again with Dawn. 😉

[@gerrysherman2865]

Looks like Dawn is more accurate.😮

[@beek]

But like I said, we are NOT sure how many mites were on each sample, so yes, it is just as good perhaps.

[@TheBaconWizard]

Dawn requires that you let the bees soak for 2 minutes before agitating, in order to come up to 90% accuracy. The amount of dawn required shouldn't make many suds.

[@fredflinderman]

How do you keep your hives from falling over?

[@beek]

They are heavy with honey

[@briansamphs3720]

Is it possible that simply shaking the bees will knock some mites off? Should the control maybe be 300 bees with nothing added?

[@beek]

Extremely unlikely because mites are an ectoparasite and cling to bees extremely well.

[@robgarvin5634]

hey dave does the dean soap kill the bees? I'm a new beekeeper I'm not 100% on killing bees with alchohol wash thanks love the youtube videos Rob

[@beek]

Yes Rob it does. I hate killing bees and the way I came to terms with this type of testing is that a colony is a single organism. To treat humans with cancer other healthy cells usually have to be killed as well to save the great organism. I view 300 bees as single cells that can save the great organism. The queen lays 1000-2000 eggs a day during our testing season, so 300 per month out of 45,000 is only 0.66%.

[@robertgarvin7247]

thanks Dave I see what you mean. numbers dont lie appreciate your time and knowledge with this

[@randyrochon9817]

Have you ever tried spraying Pam cooking spray over the bubbles send it

[@beek]

never tried it.

[@FshHnt192]

I would have been interested to know if the alcohol got any more mites out of that same sample at the end...

[@jimjim7708]

Try cold water, less suds.

[@beek]

It was cold and sat for 12 hours before I used it.

[@byronclayton5273]

Why do you add the zeros? All you need to do is take the number of mites and divide the number of bees by 100. Example, if you counted 285 bees, you would divide the number of mites by 2.85.Example: you have 14 mites and 260 bees (there's never exactly 300 in a half cup sample), you would simply divide 14 by 2.6 to get 5.38%. Counting the bees just gives a more accurate count than just assuming there are 300 bees. I'm new to bee keeping but old to math...

[@Uncle_Buzz]

The irony of using a FairLife bottle to kill the bees LOL.

[@davenajeff5688]

Did the bees die?

[@6wild6flower6]

Todays recipe calls for one cup of bees

[@Blgtn43]

Why not just assume your hives have mites and treat them as if you have a heavy mite load? Even if your mite load is low, it will increase.

[@samst-louis9389]

Wait a minute (new beekeeper here) You need to KILL the bees you tested? Or am I missing something?

[@beek]

Hi Sam, I used to hate and dodge the issue. However, the way I came to terms with this type of testing is that a colony is a single organism. To treat humans with cancer other healthy cells usually have to be killed as well to save the great organism. I view 300 bees as single cells that can save the greater organism. The queen lays 1000-2000 eggs a day during our testing season, so 300 per month out of 45,000 is only 0.66%. But by all means that is a personal decision. If we fail to do our test, the entire colony will eventually perish.

[@samst-louis9389]

@@beek ok, good point, I understand, not sure if I like it though but I understand. Thanks for the reply. 👍