Episode 204 – Varroa Week Continues: How to Test Mite Levels 🐝🛡️

In this episode we continue Varroa Week by getting practical with mite testing. We cover alcohol washes, dish soap washes, sticky boards, sugar shakes, and how to build a monthly testing routine that helps you stay ahead of trouble before colonies begin to fail.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 67 inspection report and giving a crowded four-frame nuc more space

• Why expanding too early can risk brood chilling during cold nights

• The real question is not if you have mites, but how many

• How to do a proper alcohol wash using nurse bees for the best sample

• Why dish soap washes can be a lower-cost alternative to alcohol

• Sticky boards, what they can tell you, and where they fall short

• Why sugar shakes are less accurate and no longer preferred

• Building a monthly mite testing schedule and reacting to the numbers

Why Listen to This Episode?