Testing for Varroa Mites

I am not a technical person, so this is just the basics of the Varroa Mite. A person can write all about them and how they work and what happens to the bees, but the long and short of it...they are bad and they need to go.
Varroa Mites are nasty little critters that will end up living off the larvae in the hive. If left untreated they can kill your hive by the time spring comes. So its important to test for them in August and then again in the spring and if need be, treat them.

See it on her back. Yuk

Disgusting little things

There are several methods of testing, but for me this year I decided to do the sticky board test. Its a piece of cardboard that you lay a plastic mesh on so the bees won't stick to it. You slide the board on top of the  bottom board of the hive. You can leave it up to three days or as little as one day. I did one day this year out of ease as its still quite busy at the motel.

                                                                         

I have circled the mite so you can see it easier. They are so tiny, the grid is 1 square inch. I still have one more hive to check but over the next day or two, I will decide if I need to treat. So far it looks pretty good but we will see. Once this is done, you are one step closer to getting the bees ready for winter.