Results of the Grease Patties

 

I would love to tell you that my Grease Pattie experiment in Hive #1 has made a real difference, but I have to honestly say that I have no scientific proof if the grease patties I used in hive #1 worked or not.

I worry a little that they didn't have maximum effect since I had to adapt their use to my Top Bar Hive. I placed them as best I could, in areas where they would walk across them as the directions say but because of the way the entry holes are placed 2" up from the floor in the hive, I could not put the Patties where the bees would be forced to walk across them as they entered the hive.

I instead put them across the entry to the syrup feeder. This worked fine for a couple of weeks. But after a while the nectar flow began and fewer and fewer bees crossed that threshold. As I watched their reaction to the Grease Patties I would have to say they seem to have no interest in eating on them. I am not sure if this is normal (I suspect that it is, since the instructions for using the Grease Patties seemed more about placement than feeding) but it was true for my bees.

 

What I can say for sure is that shortly after the bees stopped using the feeder with the grease patties in front of it , I took the syrup jar out and left the Patties. A week later when I opened the hive I discovered that the bees had decided that the Grease Patties were a fine place to pile dead bees and hive debris. This message seemed pretty clear to me, so I took the Grease Patties out.

There have been some drastic fluctuations in the hive population and I believe it is because of mites. 

Hive #1, June 25, 2011

Hive #1, August 2, 2011

Hive #1, August 28, 2011

Shortly after all the fussing with the Grease Patties, I did notice an improvement in the hive health. Previously I had been seeing a few bees with wing deformities, a sure sign of mite infestation since the virus is spread by Varoa Mites, but over the last few months Hive #1 has built up substantially from its beleaguered numbers and seems to be doing well. I haven't seen any more wing deformities either I have no idea if the Grease Patties helped with this or if they just managed a rebound naturally despite the Mites and the very poor weather this spring.

Even though I don't really know if the Grease Patties worked I think I will put a new batch of Grease Patties into the hive for this Fall. Even if they only helped a little I think it is worth the effort.

According to most sources I have found, mites reach their peak population in a hive at the end of the summer, just as the bee population decreases to get ready for the winter. This is why hives seem to mysteriously die out in the winter. The mite load is just too great for each individual bee and weakened colonies cannot cope with the hardships of winter.
According to the Florida State Extension video on Varoa Mites, if you open your hive in the spring and only have a pile of dead bees, it is almost certainly because the bees had a Varoa Mite infestation in the Fall. Because they are weakened by the mites they slowly die off as the Winter sets in. The hive population slowly decreases until they reach a critical point where they cannot maintain a "ball" big enough to keep warm.
I really hope that doesn't happen to Hive #1.

Mites in the Hive

I was very alarmed to find a drone scuttling around in the grass under the hive the other day. That in itself is not an unusual event. Drones are expendable and are often unceremoniously tipped out the door of the hive when more room/food/cells are needed.

These were full drone cells last week, now they are cleaned out and being used.I am watching to see what develops here. Drone cells are very attractive to mites, so drones are commonly higher in mite infestations.

What was alarming was the comparatively giant Varroa Mite that was hanging on the belly of the drone. Seriously, if that mite was on my belly it would be the size of a small cat!
I took these pictures and then went on the search for what to do.

Mite is circled, click to enlarge this photo

 I have found this series of videos from the Florida State University on bee diseases to be concise and exceptional in their information content. Every time I watch one I learn something new.

I found a few other up to date sources on the web that also confirmed that screened bottoms are the way to go. My hives already have screened bottoms.

The next thing to do, it seems, is to make some "grease patties".  Here is a recipe I adapted from a much larger recipe from the West Virginia University (go here for a pdf with more detailed direction on the type of salt and where to place patties). I cut the recipe down because I didn't need enough for 10 hives.

That's "wintergreen oil" last on the list

The sugar and salt encourage the bees to eat the pattie. The oil in it gets on the bee's hairs and makes it difficult to hold onto for the mites.

 It also has wintergreen oil in it which is supposed to upset the mites and cause them to run around, increasing the chances that they will fall off the bees and through the screened bottom, never to be seen again.  

Caution: do not add more wintergreen oil than this. It will cause the bees to attack and kill the queen because they will not be able to smell her. In this recipe, more is not better. Also do not follow older recipes which advocate antibiotics being added. New studies have shown this only harms the bees in the long run by making anything the antibiotic treats, resistant.

 

I didn't even try to stir this stuff with a spoon, it's just too stiff. I just squished it in my hands like play dough, scraping the bottom several times in the process.

Grease pattie the size of a small hamburger.

You can see the screened bottom of the hive here. I had a syrup feeder in the hive so I replaced the jar with the grease pattie and put one on the side for good measure.

Only time will tell if this is an effective method for my top bar hives.

I am keeping a close eye on them. I am on the fence about using anything stronger to deal with the mites. There are a few more organic methods to use. But the danger is in Fall when the bee population drops for winter and mite populations spike. I have heard several accounts of seemingly healthy hives suddenly being a dead pile of bees, and apparently this is the number one sign of a critical Varroa Mite infestation.

The livestock salt from the feed store is too coarse for the grease patties so you have to whurr it up in a blender.

 I am hoping that the mites only achieved a foothold in the first place because of the stress the hive was under from of the very wet spring/summer we are having, and that as the weather improves and the bees now are not so crowded (because they swarmed twice) they will become healthy enough overcome the mites again.

Drone next to the mite

 Apparently all hives have mites these days. But it's all about how many mites they have that determines the health of the hive.