Knowledgebase

Combination treatment #798643

Asked June 29, 2022, 4:41 PM EDT

You talked about the fact that the mites could not withstand 106 degree temperature but bees could but worried about the bee pupae couldn’t you do a brood break and at the end of it raise temperatures to 106 degree to kill the remainder of the mites and then after that release the queen to start laying eggs.

San Mateo County California

Expert Response

Hello,

I’m trying to figure out where to direct your question. Whom are you referring to? In which program was this content discussed?

Thanks,

The expert who was discussing it was Meghan Milbrath from Michigan State University 


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On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 2:29 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

The Question Asker Replied June 29, 2022, 10:09 PM EDT

Thanks for reaching out with this question! I appreciate that you are taking varroa mites seriously and trying to think of new ways to control them. A healthy honey bee colony regulates the temperature within the hive on hot days. When outside temperatures are hot, foragers will bring water back to the hive and use their wings to fan and evaporate water to cool the hive. Some of the bees will exit the hive (bearding) to help with the cooling process. If you were to raise the internal temperature of the hive to 106F, the bees would either find a way to cool it down, or they would likely overheat and die. Furthermore, if you are looking at heating foundation in frames, the varroa mites would be on the adult bees in this case and not directly on/near the heated foundation.

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