Evaluation of mid-summer splits on varroa mite reduction and colony productivity
The apiary community has explored a variety of pest management practices to reduce varroa mite infestations including drone brood removal and miticides, but few practices have yielded long term success as stand-alone treatments. Recent research in New York and the Nordic region has demonstrated strong correlations between the swarming behaviors of honey bee colonies, the reduction of pests and diseases and an increase in colony survival, but little research has been performed on colony splits. We conducted a study to test the efficacy that splitting a colony into two (parent colony and daughter colony) will have on varroa mite reductions and the long term survival of a colony. Our results showed that the timing of a split during the season, early summer through fall, is critical to long term reductions in varroa mites and increased colony survival. Early summer splitting allows sufficient time for the mites to rebound and reduces the productivity in the parent and daughter colonies during important nectar flows.
We predict that mid-summer splits will have a greater impact on the reduction of varroa mites and increase winter survival of the colonies. Mid-summer splits will also allow colonies to reap the benefits of early summer nectar flows, and increase the number of colonies going into winter leading to the maintenance of sustainable colony numbers within an apiary.
Objectives1. The project aims to test the effects of mid-summer splits on varroa mite populations and the population dynamics (bee population, brood area) and productivity (pollen, nectar and honey quantities) of the hive.
2. A second goal of the project is to conduct a citizen science field study within the beekeeping community. We hope to promote the establishment of citizen science among hobbyist and small scale beekeepers, particularly in the mid-Atlantic, and make scientific data more accessible to the general public. 3. A long term goal is to better understand the temporal relationship between varroa mites and honey bees. |