North Olympic Peninsula Beekeeper’s Association (NOPBA) minutes
DATE March 9, 2025
TIME Noon
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY MARK URNES AND GREG BUTLER
IN ATTENDANCE – 36 PEOPLE
REPORTS – BUSINESS MEETING:
• Mark Urnes opened the meeting at noon. He welcomed 7 new people to the meeting and started the business meeting and introduction to the board.
• President – Greg Butler:
Bees are coming out. Check on their food now. You can put dry sugar on a piece of paper inside their hive. Be careful not to overfeed as the colony may grow too quickly and swarm.
• Vice President – Geoff McClain: Notify Geoff if you would like to be on the swarm list. The swarm list can be found on the website, NOPBA.org.
• Treasurer – Cathy Martineau –
1. Beginning balance $8,529.97, deposits $250.00 (dues), expenses - old fair expense,PayPal/Bank fees $424.98, Ending balance $8,354.99. We also have $75.00 in the cash box. Dues ($15/year for individuals, $25 for family, $150 for lifetime) can be sent to Cathy through our website (nopba.org) or in person by check or cash. Cathy will add members to the NOPBA email list. Check for an email once dues are paid. There are currently 140 people on the email list, which is being updated to remove those no longer club members.
2. Club members receive discounts such as 30% off the Cornell master beekeeper program and $5.00 off bees from Apex Apiary 360-460-7221 or website http://apex-apiary.com or on Facebook.
3. Mark Urnes purchased two hives for the prison program at $220 each. The club voted to approve the expense.
• Community Outreach – Megan D’Amore – No new report.
• Education Trustee – Rex Roberton:
1. Rex passed around sign-up sheets for those who want to mentor and those who want to be mentored (mentee) as well as a handout on the mentorship program.
2. Cornell University offers a one and ½ year online program for those interested in becoming a master beekeeper. Required prerequisite is 3 years beekeeping experience. This program is different from WASBA which people work their way up from beginner to apprentice to journeyman then to master beekeeper.
3. Next month (April) Rex will be doing a presentation on bee-lining which is capturing around 10 wild bees and then tracking their movement back and forth to their colony. This is in preparation for a youth program he will be leading in August. He is looking for volunteers who are interested in helping with the youth program. Good books on the topic are “Following the Wild Bees – The Craft and Science of Bee Hunting” by Thomas D. Seeley, and “The Bee Hunter” by George Harold Edgell.
• Social media – Rami Grunbaum: Rami posts sources to buy honeybees on our website nopba.org under “Resources”. Rami also posts the minutes submitted by the secretary under the “Home” page. He is no longer putting the minutes on Facebook due to member consensus.
• Secretary – Jamie Kenyon: Please sign the sign-up sheet and put an asterisk next to your name if you would like the minutes emailed to you directly. Jamie forwards the minutes to Rami, who posts them on the nopba.org home page and she brings a few hard copies to the meeting if you are interested.
PRESENTATION – GREG BUTLER – VARROA MITES, WHAT ARE THEY, HOW DO THEY DAMAGE THE HIVE, MONITORING AND MANAGING :
I. What is the varroa mite? Also known as Varroa Destructor, this is a parasitoid arthropod (8-legged spider) that kills its host (the honeybee). It is native to Asia and has traveled around the world on the backs of bees. It was first spotted in the United States in 1987 in Minnesota and has spread across the nation since then. The mite is visible to the naked eye, from 0.70 to 0.98 mm reddish brown to dark brown. They have a flat, spherical shape with eight legs and no eyes. They use their bulbous feet to stick to the honeybee. They cling between the bees’ protective plates to access the fat bodies of the bee.
II. How they damage the honeybee hive:
1. The mites feed on the bees’ fat bodies. The fat bodies of the bee help them to store and use nutrients in the form of fat, glycogen, and protein; especially important during larval growth; helps them metabolize carbohydrates, lipids, endocrine signaling and pathways; detoxification of plant defenses; and helps them survive the winter’s long periods of confinement. The mite carries diseases and 35 viruses, primarily deformed wing virus, which affects the pupa and causes them to be unable to fly, bring food, or pollinate, and unable to control the temperature in the hive. They weaken the bee’s immunity and shorten its lifespan. It also interferes with the bee’s memory and cognition. Once a hive is weakened by mite infestation, they are unable to defend their hive against predators such as wasps.
2. Female mites enter brood cells and lay eggs. Once the eggs hatch, they begin to feed on the larvae and reproduce. Once the mite reaches maturity, it will leave the brood cell and attach to nurse bees moving from cell to cell infecting other bees and brood.
III. Monitoring your hive for mites: Even though you may not be able to see mites, they are often hidden in between the protective plates and on the abdomen of the bee. Here are a few ways to monitor for them:
1. Use a screened bottom board to monitor mites that have fallen off bees. This method is not completely accurate, because it only shows the mites that have died and not how many are living among your bees.
2. Sugar shake method – does not kill your bees and allows you to estimate percentage of mites per bees.
a. Sequester the queen bee.
b. Shake at least 3 different frames of your bees into a plastic tub. Scoop up ½ cup of live bees = 300 bees.
c. Put the bees in a mason jar with a screened lid (#8 hardware cloth from Swain’s).
d. Add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and gently shake the jar to coat all bees.
e. Shake powdered sugar into an empty white plastic tub. Mites will be visible. You can add water to dissolve the sugar to make mites more visible. Count the mites.
f. Divide the number of mites by 3 to obtain the number of Varroa for every 100 bees.
g. For example, 11 mites will calculate to 3.6 Varroa/100 bees or 3.6%.
h. Release the bees covered in sugar back to the hive.
4. Soap wash or alcohol method – Allows you to estimate percentage of mites per bees but kills the ½-cup sample of bees. It may be worth the sacrifice to accurately assess your hive and protect them from infestation.
a. Obtain or make a Varroa mite Test Kit.
b. Sequester the queen bee.
c. Shake at least 3 different frames of your bees into a plastic tub. Scoop up ½ cup of live bees = 300 bees.
d. Put the bees in the test kit and put the lid on.
e. Pour over bees to completely cover either rubbing alcohol or solution of 2 tablespoons Dawn Dish Soap to 1 gallon of water. Gently shake the container for 60 seconds to allow the fluid to separate mites from the bees.
f. Remove the basket holding the bees and count the number of Varroa mites collected in the bottom of the bowel.
g. Divide the number of mites by 3 to obtain the number of Varroa for every 100 bees.
k. For example, 11 mites will calculate to 3.6 Varroa/100 bees or 3.6%.
5. When to monitor/check for mites: It’s very important to be in tune with how your hive is doing so regular observation is crucial. Here are some general guidelines of when to test for mites but you may do more or less depending on your observations.
a. During hive buildup March – April
b. During honey flow – June – September
c. During last brood – September – November
d. Broodless – December
IV. Managing Varroa Mites: 1% - 2% mite infestation is not an immediate threat to your hive.
If mite infestation is above 2%, then your hive may be in danger, and you should treat. It is crucial to get the mites under control by mid-July to August.
Treatment options:
a. Husbandry techniques – This is very effective but very difficult and labor intensive.
Rex is an expert in summer interruption of brood.
b. Bio-controls – techniques such as small cell foundation, powdered sugar dusting, hive scorpions, letting them swarm, resistant hygienic bees, and fungi have not been proven effective.
c. Essential oils – Thymol used in Api-Life Var and ApiGuard have been shown to be effective for 6 weeks when following the instructions on the label. It cannot be used during the honey flow.
d. Synthetics – Many synthetics are no longer recommended because the mites have built a resistance to them, and they contaminate the honey. Amitraz (trade name ApiVar) is still being used by some but will contaminate the honey and carries the risk of the mites becoming resistant.
e. Organic Acids – Oxalic acid (OA) is found naturally in many dark green vegetables, some nuts, grains, and legumes, in fruits, cocoa, tea and sweet potatoes. OA will not harm the bees and can be applied when honey supers are on the hive.
1. The most effective application seems to be the extended-release strips, which are not yet approved by the EPA. These strips are effective for up to 70 days and are made using vegetable glycerin, oxalic acid and Swedish sponges, all of which can be found online and are inexpensive. Some group members are willing to make these with members who have never made them before.
2. Dribble formula approved by EPA – must not apply too much or you can hurt the bees. Will last for about a week. Combine 4 tablespoons oxalic acid, 1 cup vegetable glycerin and 1 ½ cup hot water. Use a 50 ml syringe to dribble down each seam (between two frames). Must be applied at room temperature or a little warmer. This mixture will treat 10 hives. This does not penetrate wax cappings.
3. OA vaporization approved by EPA – Vaporizers can be purchased for $40 - $90.
YOU MUST WEAR A RESPIRATOR AND PROTECTIVE GEAR WHEN USING THE VAPORIZER. Effective but only last 3-4 days, so treatment must be repeated frequently. It does not penetrate wax cappings.
V. CONCLUSION – “Bee” ahead and stay ahead. Think prevention rather than cure.
BEEKEEPING TIPS, TRICKS AND QUESTIONS
SAVE THE DATES – August 14-17, 2025 Clallam County Fair – The theme this year is “Bee-lieve in the magic of the fair”. Mark is meeting with the fair superintendent and is looking for new ideas and people interested in helping with the fair.
There is a new mite called Tropilaelaps that originates from Asia and has been found in Georgia.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held at the Port Angeles North Olympic Library, 2210 Peabody St, Port Angeles at noon on April 13, 2025. Rex will do a presentation on Bee-lining, tracking bees in the wild.