Varroa Diagnostic Results - October 2025
Nosema Diagnostic Results - October 2025
Actions:
Cleaned up the barn and reorganized. Purchased 300lbs of sugar to prepare 2:1. Reviewed records regarding colony weight to prepare to feed. Reviewed lab diagnostics reports to prepare to treat colonies above threshold. Observations: Records show colonies are lighter than anticipated and while most colonies are below Varroa damage threshold, there are still 7 colonies with mite loads between 3 and 9.5 mites per 100 bees (3% - 9.5% mite load), which is above threshold. Reflections: Mite pressure has been high and constant in our yards this year. We have lost several colonies during the summer while undergoing a new treatment that did not have the effect we expected and are now working hard to get each colony’s mite loads back to a manageable number. Things in bloom: Chicory, New England Aster, Panicled Aster, Aromatic Aster, Black-eyed Susan, Gray Goldenrod, Hairy White Oldfield Aster, Common Chrysanthemum, Tatarian Aster, Elegant Zinnia, Yellow Cosmos
A colony with two queens in the process of supersedure. Look closely for the Queen marked with a blue dot on each of the frames facing the camera. Photo by Eric Malcolm, October 16, 2025. Actions:
Checked queen acceptance in requeened colonies (2), checked banked queen (1), combined weak colony (1), requeened queenless colony (1), inspected and sampled for Varroa, Nosema, and Viral Project (21), sampled colonies for another research project (7). Checked individual colony weight to get ready to feed. Observations: Both new queens were accepted and laying, banked queen was released and killed. Colonies are going through food stores quickly and most will require feeding. Several colonies were noted as Queen Not Seen (QNS) indicating no eggs or queen seen, though the colony was behaving as Queen Right. Queens will often stop laying in the fall as cold weather approaches and nectar becomes scarce. Reflections: Made the mistake of laying a banked queen cage down on its side, above an excluder, but forgot to cover the fondant plug - new queen was found released by workers and deceased. Things in bloom: Chicory, New England Aster, Groundsel Tree, Panicled Aster, Aromatic Aster, Black-eyed Susan, Gray Goldenrod, Hairy White Oldfield Aster, Common Chrysanthemum, Tatarian Aster, Elegant Zinnia, Yellow Cosmos Varroa Diagnostic Results - September 2025  Nosema Diagnostic Results - September 2025 
Actions:
Requeened 2 colonies and fed each 1 gallon of 1:1 syrup. Mixed 20 gallons of 1.5:1 syrup at the barn. Fed 2.5 gallons to 7 light colonies using top feeders. Added entrance reducers to 25 colonies. Put 2-3 Swiffer strips on colonies that had SHB adults. Observations: Colonies were very patient while I found and removed the VQ and very newly mated Queen during the requeening process. Reflections: It was a beautiful week for being out in the apiary! The weather was partly sunny and cool. Things in bloom: Chicory, New England Aster, Groundsel Tree, Panicled Aster, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, White Wood Aster, Aromatic Aster, Black-eyed Susan
Actions:
Cleaned up equipment from dead outs and old stored equipment. Froze boxes from last week’s visit. Replaced broken equipment, consolidated colonies and combined (1). Sampled colonies for project (6) and checked queen status (12). Observations: Three colonies recently superseded their queens. Two will need to be requeened or combined. All others were queen right. Most colonies are going through their food stores and will require feeding next week. Reflections: We were surprised that colonies with abundant food stores at past visits were so light this week. Things in bloom: Chicory, Clustered Mountain Mint, Daisy Fleabane, Bearded Beggarticks, New England Aster, Late Boneset, Groundsel Tree, Panicled Aster, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Common Wrinkle-leaved Goldenrod, White Wood Aster
Actions:
Performed 2 full inspections and sampled them for Varroa, Nosema, and Viral monitoring project. Consolidated 1 colony. Placed Swiffer strips (3) on each colony for SHB. Observations: Reviewed last week’s records, some colonies are getting light, need to feed. Reviewed lab diagnostic results, Varroa loads are dropping after Formic application. Will require another treatment, several colonies still above threshold. Lots of SHB seen this week. Some colonies still showing signs of prolonged mite pressure. Reflections: Weather is starting to cool, and forage is becoming scarcer. Things in bloom: Chicory, Crepe Myrtle, Clustered Mountain Mint, Gray Goldenrod, Tall Goldenrod, Daisy Fleabane, Butterfly Stonecrop, Garlic Chives, Bearded Beggarticks, Calico Aster, New England Aster, Common Ivy, Late Boneset, Groundsel Tree, Panicled Aster |
