OK, OK! I know I am overdoing the mite control thing. But the main reason beekeepers drop out is losing their hives to varroa mites and viruses during the winter. Here is another short article to increase your knowledge.
https://honeybeesuite.com/the-mites-are-the-same-old-mites/
To me there were two important messages. One, the sugar shake method of measuring mite infestation is NOT as good as the alcohol wash method. Also, the article says that August is the time to apply mite controls. But oddly it did not provide a recommendation about acceptable mite levels.
We have all heard different things on what thresholds are good and bad when measuring mite levels in August. We have also seen the limit being lowered over the last ten years. At this Saturday's club meeting we will try to increase everyone's understanding about various limits and the potential for a hive crash by presenting Randy Oliver's Varroa Model. See you there.
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