Thread: Honey Bees
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Old 10-09-2009, 03:10 PM   #7 (permalink)
jeffreyp
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Default Re: Honey Bees

It can be hot sweaty work because the best time to work the hive is during the middle of the day (when it's the hottest) when most of the worker bees are out foraging for nectar and pollen. You don't actually "vaccinate" bees against mites. There are apistan strips you can hang in between the frames that repel varoa mites, and you can use menthol granules to repel trachea mites. Sometimes and very very rarely bees will get a bacterial infection and this too can be treated. Some strains of bees will abscond (swarm and start new colonies) more than other strains. I never had an issue where I had to check on my bees every couple weeks to prevent queening. Newer strains such as Russian bees are resistant to mites in general..best advice is do your homework.

Jeff
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