Mite-A-Thon, the first ever national event to capture and collect Varroa mite infestations in North America has started! Please dust off your sugar shake jars, grab some powdered sugar and join us in the colonies starting today and lasting until September 16th (we hope you continue to monitor your colonies beyond this drive as MiteCheck.com is always open and your data is always welcome).
Add your data to this map and make it light up! Look at the data and see what management practices are being used around the country. If you have questions about what management or treatment strategy you should use, please see this valuable Varroa guide from the Honey Bee Health Coalition.
If you don’t have a sugar roll jar, please see our previous BIP blog on how to make one and then how to administer a sugar roll test. Read more about sugar roll tests in general and for ways to interpret your data, please read another BIP blog here.
There is still time to purchase ready-made MiteCheck kits (everything you need in 1 bucket!). Please think about buying one from these bee supply houses, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm and Mann Lake.
Please get out, enjoy the wonderful fall weather and contribute to a HUGE citizen science project. You’ll learn how healthy your bees are heading into winter and you’ll make a difference in this valuable research effort. We thank you. Fight the mites.
