Subject: How To Re-Use Hive and Comb from Varroa Infected Colony?

From: [email-masked] (John E. Taylor III)
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 12:34:39 -0400

I've got a single colony of healthy bees that haven't yet needed
treatment for varroa.  Last Friday a friend brought over a hive (single
deep brood chamber), complete with freshly extracted comb, that had shown
symptoms discussed here earlier: lots of honey, no bees at all.  As I
recall, the concensus was varroa.

	   So my friend says, "I put the hive body in your back yard."  I
immediately envision varroa mites all over my nice healthy girls, run grab
the hive body and put it in the basement away from the bees.  I plan to put
the extracted comb in the freezer for a while to prevent wax-moth damage,
and to flame the inside of the empty hive body with the propane torch.
We'd like to use the hive and comb to re-start another colony from my bees.

	   Question: Do varroa mites leave or die when the bees leave a hive, or
does the risk of infecting a healthy colony remain?  Will freezing or
flaming also kill any mites that are present?

--
John Taylor    (W3ZID)      |  "The opinions expressed are those of the
e-mail: [email-masked] |   writer and not of Rohm and Haas Company."

---

From: Gordon Scott <[email-masked]>
Date: 9 Jun 1995 02:07:24 +0100

> recall, the concensus was varroa.
<snip>
> flaming also kill any mites that are present?

If there are varroa in your area there's a high chance you already  have
them, if only in low concentation.

Varroa mites die after a few days away from bees.   I've  not  heard  of
more than 8 days, most people reckon fewer.  Flaming will certainly kill
them.  I can only guess that freezing will -- seems  pretty  likely,  it
kills most things bigger than bacteria.

Regards,
-- 
Gordon Scott	[email-masked]		100332,3310 on CompuServe
Newsletter	[email-masked]	ditto
		Beekeeper, Kendo Sandan, sometime sailor.
		Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 5HP, UK