Varroa Tester (3-in-1)

Innovative product Varroa Tester 3 in 1, which makes it easier for beekeepers to verify:
• Degree of infestation with Varroa destructor;
• Resistance (sensitivity) of Varroa destructor to acaricides
• Hygienic behavior (self-cleaning instinct) of bees

The product helps beekeepers around the world to monitor the health of bees and the level of mites in their bee colonies.

The idea is that beekeepers, already in the apiary, can quickly, easily and accurately control the degree of infection with Varroa destructor.

Thanks to the tester, beekeepers can also check whether the mite has developed resistance to a specific drug against varroosis (amitraz, kumaphos or pyrethroid, fluvalinate, flumetrin). This translates into the use of only the drug to which no immunization of varroa has developed and with correspondingly high efficiency. This gives the beekeeper the possibility of less interference with medical measures in the life of the bee colony.
The cleaning instinct is an important indicator that is key in selecting queen bees. Families with a well-developed cleansing instinct are less likely to suffer from certain diseases (for example, calcareous mycosis).

Varroa Tester 3-in-1 was developed following the 2016 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendations for the creation of calibrated and approved instruments to monitor bee health across the EU and their stressors for a variety of bees, including honey bees.

A quick, easy and accurate test to assess the degree of varroa infestation in a colony, bee hygiene instinct and mite resistance to drugs.

View video on how to use the unit HERE

Description

Test I – check for infestation

1. Collect around 300 bees. Fill container A up to the second level with them.

2. Close container A with cover B

3. Put a teaspoon of powdered sugar into container C.

4. Screw the container C to the bottom of the container A and shake it for 1-2 minutes, so that the powdered sugar sprinkles the bees thoroughly.

5. Make sure that most of the powdered sugar has fallen to the bottom of container C, then unscrew only the container C.

6. Pour water into it to dissolve the sugar. Count the mites that float in the water.

7. Up to 3 mites – small infestation, 3-10 – medium. Above 10 – large.

8. release the bees.

Test II – on the level of mite resistance to drugs

1. Fill container A with about 150 bees collected from brood frames (from the same hive as test 1) – let them reach level 1 of the container.

2. Close the container with the lid B. Wear gloves! Attach the drug strip to container A by threading it through the lower slot of the H-shaped holder. The end of the strip is to stop on the bar.

3. Place the tester in a dark place at room temperature. The drug strip is supposed to be on top! Wait six hours.

4. Remove the strip. Shake the container several times over a piece of white paper.

5. If the number of dead mites is greater than the% of Test 1, there is no resistance to the drug.

Test III – on hygienic behaviour of bees

1. Remove the patch with sealed 10-15 day-old brood.

2. Use the spikes on the container A or C to destroy a fragment of the brood patch by pushing the spikes into it along its entire length 2-3 times

3. Put the plaster in the hive. If more than 70% of the cells have been cleansed after 6 hours, more than 90% after eight hours, and 100% after a day, the family has a good hygienic instinct.