The tiny parasite that lives with my bees (and what my midsummer mite count revealed about their strength.)
Beekeeping Diaries #12 for paid subscribers
Every season, I check my bees for a parasite called varroa. It’s a reddish-brown mite, smaller than a pinhead, that clings to bees and feeds on them.
Beekeepers obsess over it. Entire books, treatments, and arguments revolve around this one little creature. Because varroa can weaken a colony and spread diseases through the hive.
My way of checking isn’t invasive. I don’t even open the hives. I slide white trays underneath, leave them for 24 hours, and then count the mites that have naturally fallen off the bees.
This midsummer, as expected, the numbers were higher than they were back in spring. The colonies are bigger now, brood is booming, and mites thrive in those conditions. Some hives had low counts. Others were higher. All of them, though, looked strong: plenty of food, steady rhythm, healthy bees.
And here is why that matters.
