Varroa

The Varroa mite, Varroa destructor, is the most damaging pest to honey bees in Slovenia and most of the world. Since its discovery in our country in 1980, the pest has spread rapidly throughout the country aided by the movement of infested, commercial honey bee colonies. Varroa is so widespread and its affect on bee colonies is so serious that beekeepers must routinely treat or their colonies will likely perish. Resistance to traditional chemical miticides has developed in recent years. Fortunately, the number of management tools and strategies for Varroa has recently increased, providing beekeepers with a wider array of options for more sustainable mite management.

Varroa destructor was until recently thought to be a closely related mite species called Varroa jacobsoni. Both species parasitize the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana. The mite species originally described as V. jacobsoni by Oudemans in 1904 is part of the same species complex, but not the same species that made the jump to Apis mellifera. That jump probably first took place in the Philippines in the early 1960’s. Only after Apis mellifera were imported to the Philippines, it came into close contact with Apis cerana. Varroa as a parasite of Apis cerana, also became a parasite of Apis mellifera. Up until 2000, scientists did not positively identify Varroa destructor as a separate species. In 2005, we know that the only varroa mites that can reproduce in colonies of Apis mellifera (Western honeybee) are the Korea and Japan/Thailand genotypes of Varroa destructor. Varroa jacobsoni is a fairly benign parasite of Apis cerana. This late identification in 2000 by Anderson and Trueman led to some confusion and mislabeling in the scientific literature.

Biology

Varroa is an external parasite, feeding on the hemolymph, or blood, of immature (brood) and adult bees. They live either on adults or within brood cells. A mated, adult female mite (called a foundress), enters a worker brood cell 15 to 20 hours prior to capping (40 to 50 hours pre-capping for drone brood) and feeds on the larva after the cell is capped. She lays her first egg about 60 hours later and may lay as many as six eggs at 30-hour intervals. Her young feed on the bee prepupa and pupa, taking 7 to 8 days (females) or 5 to 6 days (males) to mature. Mating occurs in the capped cell. Although several eggs are laid, the average number of mature, viable female mites produced per foundress in a cell is less than two. When the bee emerges from the cell, the new female(s) may stay attached to the bee or may attach to another bee. They feed on these bees and may stay on them for a few days to a few months depending on the time of year. Eventually they will enter a brood cell to begin the reproductive cycle over again. The original foundress may survive to infest and reproduce in another cell.


Damage


Symptoms of Varroa infestation may not be obvious until mite numbers have reached damaging levels. Adult bees parasitized by mites as brood may exhibit deformed legs and twisted wings
which is thought to be caused by a virus transmitted by mites. Infested colonies will appear weak, the brood pattern may be spotty, bees may be overly defensive and may be seen discarding larvae and pupa. A colony may abscond (leave the hive) if heavily infested. Colonies entering winter with a Varroa infestation may not survive. A colony dying from Varroa during the winter may be found with a small amount of dead bees and perhaps a moderate amount of honey. There
may be no bees remaining.

Varroa mites can be treated with commercially-available miticides. Miticides must be applied strictly according to the label in order to minimize the contamination of honey that might be consumed by humans. Proper use of miticides will also help to slow the development of resistance among the mites.

Honey Bees

A colony of bees consists of a queen, worker bees, drones, and various stages of brood (immature bees) living together as a social unit. There are between 10,000 and 50,000 bees in a colony. The brood nest isspherical in shape, increasingly filling more cells in each comb and covering more combs as it expands in size. Partially digested pollen, called bee bread, is stored adjacent to cells containing brood. Honey or nectar is stored around the outer edges of, and above, the brood nest. A honey bee egg looks like a tinygrain of white rice standing on end, centered at the base of a cell. To facilitate seeing eggs and other larval stages, shake or gently brush the bees off the comb (use a bee brush) and stand with your back to the sun. Tilt the comb so that the light shines directly into the cells. With a little experience it is not difficult to recognize larval bees or to distinguish capped brood (pupae) from capped honey (ripened honey covered by a thin layer of wax.

The queen bee

Each colony normally has only one queen which is the only bee in the colony capable of fertilizing the eggs she lays. The queen bee develops from a fertilized egg that hatches 3 days after being laid. Nurse bees, a class of worker bee, feed developing queen larvae a special diet consisting mostly of the royal jelly that they secrete from their glands. This special diet shortens the time spent to reach maturity to 16 days, compared with 21days for the worker bee and 24 for the drone. The result is a bee larger than any others, with fully developed ovaries and a very large abdomen. The queen lacks the specialized body parts of worker bees that help them accomplish their tasks. The queen's task is to produce bees and the constant diet of royal jelly fed to an adult queen supplies the nutrients necessary for development of the large ovaries that swell the abdomen. The queen is reared in a large cell resembling a peanut shell that hangs vertically from the comb and about 10 days after emerging she becomes sexually mature. The virgin queen takes one or more brief mating flights during which she mates with 10 to 20 drones to ensure complete filling of the spermatheca. Large amounts of sperm are necessary, since the queen will be laying more than 1,000 eggs a day for many months and will never mate again. The queen begins laying eggs shortly after mating. Even though the queen has a larger thorax, longer abdomen, and less hair than the workers, she can be very difficult to find in a populous colony. Clipping and marking the queen is worth much more than the few cents it costs when she has to be located in the colony. To ensure the potential for having a populous and productive colony, beekeepers should requeen their colonies annually with young vigorous queens

The worker bee

All the rest of the bees in the colony are workers. The worker bee develops from a fertilized egg that hatches 3 days after it is laid. Nurse bees feed the developing larva royal jelly, honey, and pollen during the next 5 to 6 days, then cap the cell. Each larva spins a cocoon and changes to a prepupa, then a pupa. The pupa is not physically active, but undergoes extensive chemical and structural changes that convert it into a functioning adult. (Adult workers are always female.) On the 21st day after the egg has been laid, the adult chews through her wax cap and emerges from the cell to groom herself and to start eating honey and pollen. Her exoskeleton hardens and she is ready to begin her many chores. The workers, endowed with specialized body parts to accomplish their tasks, supply all the labor of the colony. Young worker bees clean cells, feed larvae (through food glands in the workers' heads), remove debris from the hive, evaporate water from nectar to produce honey, secrete wax (through wax glands in their abdomens), build the comb, guard the colony (by means of their inbuilt chemical alarm system), and ventilate the hive. When they are about 3 weeks old, worker bees begin to forage for water and nectar, carrying their finds in a honey sac. Worker bees live only 6 weeks or so during periods of active brood rearing and foraging, but they can survive for several months over winter.

The drone bee

At their peak population (early summer), drones rarely exceed 600 per colony. Their sole function, as male bees, is to mate with the queen. When virgin queens are no longer being produced (in the fall), the drones are forced out of the colony to die of starvation, and no drones are reared until the following spring. Drones develop from unfertilized eggs that hatch 3 days after they are laid. Nurse bees feed the developing larvae royal jelly, honey, and pollen over a 7-day period; the cells are then covered with air-permeablewax (capped).A drone pupa is longer than a worker pupa; thus, its capping is raised above the surface of the comb. This is especially apparent if the drone is reared in a worker cell, where the capping rises way above the capped worker brood and sometimes is referred to as a "bullet." The drone emerges 24 days after the egg is laid and spends the next 10 days maturing sexually and learning to fly. A drone must be fed by worker bees from the time he emerges until the day he dies of oldage (about 5 weeks after emerging) or immediately after mating with a virgin queen. The drone can be distinguished from the workers by its large size, blocky shape, and very large eyes which cover most of his head. He makes more noise when flying thandoes the worker, but he is harmless because he has no sting.

THE HIVE BODIES

We usually use the same size for hive bodies and shallow supers. The beehive type Adlešič V3 is lower in the shallow super than in hive body. The hive has nine frames, which are the most important parts of the hive. Their creation to a great extent depends on the successful work in beehives. They are made of linden ore pine wood. The Hoffman frame is the most liked and most used. It is named after the American beekeeper. The frame sides are 15 mm longer on both sides than the outer length of the frame. These are the so-called “ears” on which the frames hang from at the front and back of the hive. The hive body dimensions are 24 cm for the height, 38 cm for the width, and 50 cm for the length and the outer sides are made of 1 cm thick pine wood. The inside is isolated with 1 cm thick Styrofoam, which is coated with a protective layer of colours so the bees do not bite into it. It weighs only 1.5 kg or 6 kg with empty combs.



THE SHALLOW SUPERS
The shallow supers are lower than the body hives in the beehive Adlešič V3 and has a height of 17 cm. The rest of the dimensions are similar to those of the body hive. This is a two-third beehive. The creation of the super is similar to that of the hive body and the frames are smaller. The shallow super is even lighter as an empty one only weighs 1 kg or 4 kg with empty combs. These types of supers are suitable for older people because when filled with honeys are lighter than the bigger hive bodies. They are most suitable for obtaining honey from the combs and different sorts of honey. The shallow supers are very simple to install regarding the strength of the family, feed, and season. The queen excluder is put in between the body hives and shallow supers. A beehive with two shallow supers, empty combs and no hive cover weighs 18 kg at most.


THE HIVE COVER
We use it to cover the top part of the hive. The outside width and length of the cover are the same as the external measurements of the hive. The cover is made of a frame and metal. There is an opening in the middle of the cover in which we smoke the bees out at the beginning. The top of the cover has a sliding screen that prevents us from coming into contact with the bees. We can pour a sugary substance into this cover and put some sugar loaves or dry sugar around the opening. We can put 4 kg of feed into such a cover. There are little openings on the sides acting as vents, which let out the excess humidity.

THE ROOF
There is also a roof on top of everything, which protects the hive from rain and snow. The roof is also used when we examine the hives. When we open the hives we turn it over so that the top of the roof, which is covered with metal, is facing downwards. We temporarily place the hive bodies on the roof of the frame. The roof is made of a wooden frame on which 20 mm thick boards are nailed to. The outer side is made of metal and the inside is covered with Styrofoam, which is added insulation from the cold. The outside measurements are somewhat bigger than the external hive measurements.

THE BOTTOM BOARD

The bottom board is exposed the most to the weather and therefore quickly falls apart. It is assembled with 2 cm thick boards made of pine, which have to be well-protected. The bottom board is 38 cm wide and 54 cm long. 4 cm is cut off for the external section where bees enter and exit the hive. The front parts are painted with different colours so the queen bee can orient itself better during the mating flight.


There is a 11 cm long opening at the front part of the board, which can be adjusted. The smallest opening is used during winter and for weaker colonies and bigger openings are used during the development of the colonies. The height of the board is 5 cm and depends on the beekeeping technology.

The bee hive

The beehive is the beekeeper’s tool. At this point the beekeeper must do all the things necessary with as little effort possible and in the least amount of time. The beehive with which I do my beekeeping started being used forty years ago here in Slovenia. People no longer believe in the statement that our feeding and climate conditions are not suitable because many beekeepers have been successful in our conditions. The beehive does not have a permanent shape or size - we can increase or decrease the size depending on the strength of the colony, feed, the season and so on. See picture that has 8 beehives.

Selecting the most suitable beehive is very important for modern beekeeping and also for its success. I bee keep with the LR beehives in which my father-in-law Martin Adlešič redesigned and completed with quality. Beekeeping with them is simple and the maximum amount of honey is produced. This is the version 3 beehive, which has a 2/3 load of honey (picture) meanwhile he bee keeps with a more improved beehive called version 4. I recommend these beehives to all those who are intending to bee keep with many beehives and to the beginners who are looking to cut the costs as much as possible – this type of beehive costs the least. Compared to the AŽ beehives its easier to monitor the development of bee colonies, less time is used for maintenance and what is most important more honey is produced during a good feed than if the AŽ beehive is used.

The apiary

I bees keep with 30 stacked up beehives and because of this I do not have a traditional bee house but I have these stacked-up beehives in the apiary out in the open. The stacked beehives are in the open (in nature that is) and that is why we call the apiary an open-air bee-house. Successful beekeeping depends on the right selection of an apiary as the open-air apiaries are under the influence of all external factors especially the weather.

An Apiary in the Open-Air
The best place for an apiary is just on the edges of a forest where the bees find just enough feed. The bees find enough food in the forest in various flowers and in the summer they take advantage of the entire forest’s flora (chestnuts, evergreens and oaks). The apiary which has the stacked up beehives must always be on the south side or places where there is not much cool air for a long time. There must not be large amounts of water in the surrounding environment because sickness might arise. The apiary must also be protected from strong winds.

I bought a huge pasture 6 km from Metlika next to Radovica (bordering Croatia) for my beekeeping operation. I planted some fruit trees and some other important plants with good qualities for producing honey. I also have a wooden shed where I keep all the equipment for beekeeping.


The most suitable place for the apiary outside in nature is in orchards or under very leafy forest trees. When the trees have no leaves during winter and spring the sun rays indirectly warm the beehives and accelerate the springtime development and during the summer when the trees are full of leaves the shade cools the beehives and makes for a pleasant stay for the bee families. The bees enjoy peace and quiet especially during the resting period in winter and that is why we should put the apiary near thoroughfares.


The most suitable place for the apiary outside in nature is in orchards or under very leafy forest trees. When the trees have no leaves during winter and spring the sun rays indirectly warm the beehives and accelerate the springtime development and during the summer when the trees are full of leaves the shade cools the beehives and makes for a pleasant stay for the bee families. The bees enjoy peace and quiet especially during the resting period in winter and that is why we should put the apiary near thoroughfares.

The Apiary in Snow

Bees are the kids of the sun, which positively influences their moods and development. However, also a very scorching sun especially in the summer forces the families to give birth. My bees are surrounded by uninhabited nature in which they find an abundant amount of feed. The willows and hazels already begin to blossom in early spring. This is when the bees start to collect the pollen and begin to develop quickly. The nicest time around my apiary is when the wild cherries begin to blossom along with the other fruit trees (cherries, apricots and plums) in the orchard with the bees around. The whole area smells fruity and the smell of the collected cherry pollen lingers in the air.

There are a lot of acacias in the vicinity for the bees to feast on as they fill the hives. Acacia is also the first honey I pour out.

There are a lot of forests bordering Croatia full of chestnut trees on and around my land, which give the bees another type of feed. In the case of beautiful warm dry weather there is never failure of a good pasture and at that time I have a lot of work with pouring the honey amongst the stinging bees and collecting the swarms. In spite of planting the plum trees in the orchards they most like to gather around the shorter hazelnut so therefore I have no problems collecting the swarms. Alongside the 30 colonies I have 5 reserves of colonies 4 km away in a place called Vinomer to where I take swarms that fly away from the hives.

Rearranging the beehives in the apiary depends on the conditions and technology we use when beekeeping. Beekeepers most often place the beehives in nice straight rows however; the bees have difficulty orientating themselves when placed in this position. Losses are greater especially during the mating flight and thus it is recommended that the beehives be painted different colours, which we can see in the picture.

The beginning

Our beautiful Slovenian saying states that you can’t choose your father or your mother however, you can choose your mother-in-law and father-in-law. This is where I have had luck as Martin Adlešič is one of the biggest and most innovative beekeepers from Bela krajina who has been beekeeping already for many years with over 100 stacked-up beehives in two transportable units. Besides this he is a also a beekeeping innovator who makes all his hives at home along with any improvements.


My Father-in-Law’s Transportable Apiary

Love, wanted me to marry his daughter (his only child) and as “the beekeeper’s daughter” for the dowry she received 30 bee families in stacked-up hives and I received magazines called “The Slovenian Beekeeper” from 1970 onwards for studying beekeeping. Therefore, in 1989 this is how my beekeeping adventure had started and I hope it will last for many years. As the right husband and “householder” I took the animals into my care, which turned out to be a bad decision as these animals “stung” really bad. As a preventative measure I started carrying a bigger picture of me so that at least the people close to me could recognize me.


My First Stand

The first days of my beekeeping career were difficult as I didn’t have any experience and differentiating between the drone and queen bee was problematic. There were no problems after we coloured the queen bee. Thank God that my father-in-law always stood by my side with nerves of steel and good advice along with my wife Greta who had the medication to relieve the swelling from the bee stings.


Bees in Action

Son’s help

Under my father-in-law’s tactics I slowly gained experience and slowly began to understand the organisation and life of the bees. I already achieved some nice results in the first few years, which gave me added momentum and will-power. I will never forget July 1991 when as a soldier I defended the southern border of Slovenia and the bees were working like crazy. At that time they produced 6 kg per family in one day. In short, I gained experience and knowledge throughout the years with the help of my father-in-law and mentor Martin Adlešič.

Therefore now, I can say I am an old pro in beekeeping with LR beehives. I have come to realise the golden rule in beekeeping which states that there are no rules when it comes to bees.