Now that nucs are being installed, it's a good time to discuss testing for mites. Two to three weeks after installing your nucs is a good time to perform a test.  We are encouraging our membership to test before treatment, then test afterwards to verify effectiveness.  The club has distributed mite wash cups and laminated testing and treatment guides to members at the February membership meeting and at the nuc pickup after 8am.  I have about 30 cups and guides left.  If you haven't received these yet, and would like them, please send me your contact information and address.  Over the next two weeks, I will make an effort to deliver them to you, along with a materials list to complete the test kit.   There is a video on the club website, by Randy Oliver, demonstrating the alcohol wash test.  Please post any questions regarding mite testing on this forum, and we will attempt to provide answers for you.                                               Steve Gomes                                                tauermunki@gmail.com 

Andrea & I did our first mite test Wed, two and a half weeks after installing the TVBA nuc.  We found no mites.

We set up the five frame nuc in a deep, eight frame box.  We added a short box on top with new foundation, gave them a pollen patty and 1/1 sugar water.  The Girlz were starting to draw comb on the three new deep frames and just part of one upper frame.  We were really excited to see lots of brood and we pretty easily found the queen. 

The fact that we found no mites makes me a bit nervous that we did not test enough bees.  Oh well, guess I just need to worry about something!

As a newbie, I really understand the desire to get into the hive every day.  We are valiantly resisting!

Thanks to all of you at TVBA for bringing  the excitement of bees into our lives.