We have increased our participation and overall understanding of the mite situation in our particular part of the world. The full mite report will detail the different methods of data collection we had this year as well as present the primary and secondary information acquired through data analysis. The things we are certain on, are the following.
1. September, October, and November have higher mite drops than the other months studied when colonies are not treated.
2. May, June, July, August, and December are similar in their mite drops when colonies are not treated.
3. Live drops can be used to measure the immediate effectiveness of treatments.
4. Live drops can be used to measure the long term effectiveness of treatments.
Items 3 and 4 were goals that were achieved from last year. In 2015 we have 1 primary goal. INCREASE PARTICIPATION. The Mite report details 7 different ways you can help participate, covering nearly all types of beekeepers. Regarding data collection, a specific goal is to link these live drops to other mite sampling techniques, specifically alcohol washes and sugar shakes.
Enjoy the Mite report and if you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Danny Najera – research@pugetsoundbees.org