FAQs About Varroa Mites & Powdered Sugar Treatment

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Varroa mites are horrible pests that can rapidly kill a hive.

No - powdered sugar just coats the bees and forces them to clean themselves. 

Will powdered sugar kill bees?

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If you drown the bees in powdered sugar it will kill them. 

Will powdered sugar kill bees?

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This is much like taking a shower for us, versus being underwater for ten minutes with no breathing gear. 

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How do you test for mites with powdered sugar?

Sugar roll involves taking a sample of 400 (half a cup) or so of bees, and shaking them in a jar with two to three spoons of fine powdered sugar. 

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How do you test for mites with powdered sugar?

After shaking the bees, the sugar is shaken through a sieve to remove the bees 

A thirty minute pulse will pulverize the sugar. A small flour mill grinder also works.

How do you make powdered sugar for bees?

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How long can varroa mite live without a host?

The mites will die quite quickly (I found about two days) when removed from the hive. 

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ADVICE

With fewer bees to collect pollen, the brood nest shrinks, and the increasing number of mites attacks a decreasing number of brood cells.

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