My bees have mites. What do I do?
-Lucy in Silverlake
Kirkobeeo Says:
All Bees have mites. They are in the bee population and they AIN'T going away.
I do what the bees do in nature: I give the bees a starter strip of wood or wax along the top bar of the frame. The bees draw the comb and put bees and honey in the cells. The size of the cells in nature are smaller than the foundation you buy at the supply store. In nature the cells are about 4.9 mm more or less. In the commercial foundation the cell size is 5.7 mm. Plus, because a lot of beekeepers treat their bees for mites with chemicals and acids and things, the wax foundation is contaminated with these chemicals. The mites have become resistant to the chemicals and the bees are weakened by the chemicals. So...the treatments don't work.
I think these contaminants are in the honey also. So small cell natural cell results in a chemical free hive, smaller bees like in Nature and bees who can live with the mites. Results: Clean Honey, Clean Wax, Healthy Bees.
Got a question for Kirkobeeo? Email kirkobeeo [at] gmail [dot] com
