I just got back in from checking the three hives that occupy my back porch. Two looked quite good, one dead. Pictures of the dead one attached. This hive was a swarm I caught in an oak tree, about 15 feet off the ground, on the east side of Griffin Creek Road.
This hive consists of one deep on the bottom with two mediums above. The deep is largely empty. The mediums are mostly full of capped honey. The remainders of the diminutive cluster were found in the bottom of the lower medium, shown in the picture (though stacked out of order).
In the picture of the bottom of the deep with three frames removed, you can see a goodly number of mites. This hive appears to have died from a mite pressure resulting in a small cluster. Dead sealed brood was observed, the brood nest occupying about the size of a soccer ball, just below where the cluster remains were found.
This hive was housed on small cell comb, and to my recollection, most if not all of the comb in this hive was provided, not built.
Now, why I don't think mite bombs are a problem. This hive is still full of honey. There is no substantial evidence of robbing. The mites afflicting the hive died with it. Few if any were spread to nearby hives. And speaking of nearby hives, the other two hives on the back porch are in excellent shape, with plenty of stores, and properly sized and located clusters. One was a swarm caught in place (swarm trap), the other was a swarm caught west of North Medford High School in a swarm trap attached to a fence at about chest level.
This is one piece of evidence toward one of the conclusions I have come to as to why mite bombs are not a notable issue, that mites often kill a hive after flying weather is over, and thus the mites die with the colony, not having spread to another colony, and having extinguished whatever virile traits they may have had. The other healthy hives in the immediate vicinity attest to this.
This hive consists of one deep on the bottom with two mediums above. The deep is largely empty. The mediums are mostly full of capped honey. The remainders of the diminutive cluster were found in the bottom of the lower medium, shown in the picture (though stacked out of order).
In the picture of the bottom of the deep with three frames removed, you can see a goodly number of mites. This hive appears to have died from a mite pressure resulting in a small cluster. Dead sealed brood was observed, the brood nest occupying about the size of a soccer ball, just below where the cluster remains were found.
This hive was housed on small cell comb, and to my recollection, most if not all of the comb in this hive was provided, not built.
Now, why I don't think mite bombs are a problem. This hive is still full of honey. There is no substantial evidence of robbing. The mites afflicting the hive died with it. Few if any were spread to nearby hives. And speaking of nearby hives, the other two hives on the back porch are in excellent shape, with plenty of stores, and properly sized and located clusters. One was a swarm caught in place (swarm trap), the other was a swarm caught west of North Medford High School in a swarm trap attached to a fence at about chest level.
This is one piece of evidence toward one of the conclusions I have come to as to why mite bombs are not a notable issue, that mites often kill a hive after flying weather is over, and thus the mites die with the colony, not having spread to another colony, and having extinguished whatever virile traits they may have had. The other healthy hives in the immediate vicinity attest to this.
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