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Protocol 1: Varroa destructor monitoring (mandatory)

Two steps: a live sugar roll, and monitoring natural drop on a sticky board.

STEP 1: sugar roll

Materials

  • A Varroa EasyCheck device, or a homemade container:
    • glass jar of 500-720 mL, fitted with a lid with ~3 mm mesh
    • alternatively, instead of mesh: a doubly folded queen excluder placed in the lid, with the slots of both layers crossed perpendicular to each other
  • Tablespoon
  • Powdered sugar
  • Flat dish (tray, baking sheet, plate) filled with water to a depth of ~1 cm
  • Dry cloth

figure
Fig. 1: Example homemade container: glass jar with ~3 mm mesh in the lid

Procedure

  1. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to the container.

  2. Collect 300 live bees from brood-nest frames (~85 mL of bees = half a cup). The easiest way is to hold the container against the comb and brush the bees in directly with disposable-gloved fingers, sweeping gently over the comb surface, or with a brush.

    Do not collect the queen

    Be careful not to scoop the queen with the sample.

Collecting bees
Fig. 2: Collecting 300 bees from a brood-nest frame with a brush (disposable gloves)

  1. Close the container with the mesh lid.
  2. Roll and gently shake the container for 1 minute so the bees are fully coated with sugar.
  3. Let it sit for max 30 seconds.
  4. Prepare a flat dish with water (~1 cm deep).
  5. Invert the closed container and shake vigorously over the water, like a salt shaker, for 15 seconds. The powdered sugar dissolves in the water and stops obscuring the mites.

Repeat the cycle

Repeat the procedure a second time with the same bee sample:

  1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar over the bees.
  2. Roll and gently shake the container for 1 minute.
  3. Let it sit for max 30 seconds.
  4. Shake vigorously over the same water for 15 seconds.

Counting and reporting

  1. Count the mites in the water and take a clear, good-quality photo.
  2. In the Apisense app: Add... → Examination → examination type: Sugar roll. Add a photo and enter the Varroa mite count.
  3. Return the bees to the colony.
  4. Wash the dish and dry it thoroughly before next use.

Enter only the exact number of mites that fell out, and add a photo of the dish. Do not calculate a percentage. We calculate the infestation on our side: number of mites / 300 = infestation in %. Example: 9 mites / 300 = 3%.

STEP 2: natural drop on a sticky board

Perform this step if the hive has a screened bottom board with a tray.

Materials

  • A ready-made adhesive mite-drop insert, or a homemade one made from:
    • a sheet of white smooth paper, a placemat, rigid foil, or a PVC sheet (sized to fit the bottom board; do not use newsprint)
    • coated with edible oil or paraffin

Procedure

  1. Ready-made insert: peel off the protective layer.

    Homemade insert: apply edible oil or paraffin.

  2. Place the insert in the lower part of the hive, sticky/coated side up, in the tray under the screened bottom board.

  3. The insert must lie flat, without lifting, and be clean.
  4. Leave the insert in place for 7 days.
  5. After 7 days, remove the insert, count the mites, and take one clear, good-quality photo covering the entire surface of the insert.
  6. In the Apisense app: Add... → Examination → examination type: Natural drop. Add a photo and enter the Varroa mite count.

Detailed sugar roll procedure

A full description of the sugar roll as a general field procedure (without the seasonal program context) is available in Varroa sugar roll.