From MAILER-DAEMON Sun Jan 14 10:28:46 2001 Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by luna.oit.unc.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA06269 for ; Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:28:44 -0500 (EST) Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by listserv.albany.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA01955 for ; Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:31:40 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <200101141531.KAA01955@listserv.albany.edu> Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:31:39 -0500 From: "L-Soft list server at University at Albany (1.8d)" Subject: Output of your job "adamf" To: adamf@METALAB.UNC.EDU Content-Length: 1532 Lines: 51 > get bee-l log0001a File "BEE-L LOG0001A" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0001b File "BEE-L LOG0001B" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0001c File "BEE-L LOG0001C" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0001d File "BEE-L LOG0001D" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0001e File "BEE-L LOG0001E" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0002a File "BEE-L LOG0002A" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0002b File "BEE-L LOG0002B" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0002c File "BEE-L LOG0002C" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0002d File "BEE-L LOG0002D" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0002e File "BEE-L LOG0002E" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0003a File "BEE-L LOG0003A" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0003b File "BEE-L LOG0003B" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0003c File "BEE-L LOG0003C" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0003d File "BEE-L LOG0003D" has been mailed to you under separate cover. > get bee-l log0003e File "BEE-L LOG0003E" has been mailed to you under separate cover. Summary of resource utilization ------------------------------- CPU time: 0.230 sec Overhead CPU: 0.100 sec CPU model: Ultra-60 (2048M) Job origin: adamf@METALAB.UNC.EDU From MAILER-DAEMON Sun Jan 14 10:28:47 2001 Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by luna.oit.unc.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA06279 for ; Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:28:45 -0500 (EST) Received: from listserv.albany.edu (listserv.albany.edu [169.226.1.24]) by listserv.albany.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA01964 for ; Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:31:41 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <200101141531.KAA01964@listserv.albany.edu> Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:31:39 -0500 From: "L-Soft list server at University at Albany (1.8d)" Subject: File: "BEE-L LOG0002E" To: adamf@METALAB.UNC.EDU Content-Length: 27371 Lines: 599 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 08:41:02 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Aaron Morris Subject: Beekeeping Seminar. May 13, 2000 in Saratoga Springs, NY Comments: cc: RON FREY MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" The Southern Adirondack Beekeepers' Association will host a full day seminar featuring Susan Cobey, Dr. Hachiro Shimanuki, and Dr. Marla Spivak on May 13, 2000 at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs, NY. Presentations will feature small-scale queen production, TM resistant AFB, the small hive beetle, varroa tolerant Russian queens, and the importance of and selection for hygienic behavior in honeybees. Beginning promptly at 9am, early registration for the seminar will be $35 for the registrant, $25 for spouse and family members. The registration fee includes buffet lunch and snacks. Advance registration (prior to April 29, 2000) is strongly encouraged. Walk in registration will be available but will include a late fee of $15 for each registration. For further information contact: Fred Ludewig ( 518.885.9032; f.ludewig@gte.net ) or Lloyd Spear ( 518.370.4989; lloydspear@email.msn.com ) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 09:44:20 EDT Reply-To: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Medhat Nasr Organization: Environ. Biology & Horticulture Subject: Ontario Pollination Symposium MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT POLLINATION - DON'T OVERLOOK IT! 2nd ANNUAL CROPS AND HONEY BEE POLLINATION SYMPOSIUM MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2000 SIMCOE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH STATION - SIMCOE Sponsored by: Ontario Beekeepers' Association - Ontario Honey Bee Pollination Association ADVANCE REGISTRATION $ 40 DEADLINE POSTMARKED MARCH 6TH, 2000 (includes lunch - must be paid in advance) REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR $ 30 (no meal) Fees subject to 7% gst. Honey bees continue to play an important role in pollinating field crops and fruit trees. Honey bee pollination increases the quantity and improves the quality of produced vegetables, fruits, and seeds. The decline in the availability of honey bees in feral colonies and the shortage of wild native pollinators can jeopardize the crop production.The Ontario Honey Bee Pollination Association continues to offer educational services to the growers and beekeepers. All crop growers, beekeepers and horticultural extension personnel are invited to attend the 2nd Annual Crops and Honey Bee Pollination Symposium. This symposium will kick off with a visit to Bick's tank farm where pickling cucumbers are processed. Various subjects such as pollination technology, management of bees for efficient pollination, pollination requirements of crops, and grower- beekeeper problem solving will be covered. The guest speaker is Dr. Dan Mayer, Professor, Washington State University. Dr. Mayer is a world renowned scientist. His research focuses on apple pollination (high and low density varieties), and the impacts of pesticides on bees. University of Guelph Professors Dr. Peter Kevan (Pollination ecology) and Brian Husband (Genetics of plant populations) will report on pollination of cucumber, apple, red clover, and pumpkin. Dr. Medhat Nasr, Tech-Transfer Specialist (OBA), will report on management and strength of rented bee colonies for pollination in Ontario. The status of the beekeeping industry will be reported by Doug McRory, Provincial Apiarist, OMAFRA. A panel of beekeepers and growers in Ontario will discuss pollination issues, pollination contracts, and grower-beekeeper working relationships. AGENDA Program Chair: John Van Alten Bick's Tank Farm - Delhi/Simcoe area - on Road 4, just north of Road 9 8:45 am Slide Presentation/Tour - Bill Bouw, Operations Manager Meeting place :Simcoe Agriculture Research Station - Hwy 3 and Blueline Road 10:00 am Registration/Coffee 10:30 am Ontario Honey Bee Pollination Association Services and Goals John Van Alten, OHBPA Chair 10:45 am Status of the Beekeeping Industry in Ontario Doug McRory, Provincial Apiarist, OMAFRA 11:10 am Pollination of High Density Apple in Washington, US. Dan Mayer, Professor, Washington State University, Prosser, WA 12:00 pm Lunch (by reservation only) 1:15 pm Sustainable Pollination Project Report: 15 min - Peter Kevan: Pickling cucumber pollination 15 min - Brian Husband: Gene flow in apple orchards 10 min - Mark Robinson: Pollination of red clover 10 min - Peter Kevan: Pumpkin and squash pollination 2:05 pm Colony Strength and Quality Used for Crop Pollination in Ontario Medhat Nasr, Researcher, Ontario Beekeepers' Association 2:45 pm Growers' Perspective of the Value of Honey Bees for Pollination Vic Hann, Grower 3:15 pm Coffee Break 3:30 pm Beekeeping and Pollination in the US Dan Mayer 4:00 pm Panel Discussion: Graham Roberts, Moderator Panel: (Andrew Sperlich, Tom Congdon, David Vander Dussen, Henry Hiemstra, Vic Hann, John Gardner) Topics: Moving colonies for pollination, colony placement in fields, colony rent, colony strength quality, and farmers-beekeepers work relationship, etc. ADVANCE REGISTRATION FOR MEETINGS/MEMBERSHIPS March 13th Pollination Symposium, Simcoe Registeration fees: CND $40.00 (includes lunch) plus GST: CND $ 2.80 (7%) = CND $42.80 Send cheque or money order ASAP to: Ontario Beekeepers' Association Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0 For more information contact: Ontario Beekeepers' Association 519-565-2622 phone 519-565-5452 fax ontbee@tcc.on.ca e-mail www.tcc.on.ca/~ontbee Medhat Nasr, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Ontario Beekeepers' Association Dept. Environmental Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: (519) 824-4120 Fax:(519)837-0442 e-mail: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 14:13:10 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: William Morong Subject: Bee candy, and dead outs? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" This was a weird winter here in Maine and weird things have happened here. Losses probably would have been terrible without vigilance. So far we're 16 of 16 alive including one late September split that is now a nice cluster six frames in diameter. The crazy Cordovans that ran out of food after Christmas ought to be dead, but are still eating candy and inhaling pollen patties. They, and one other monster colony are a quite dungy, but seem not much affected by that condition. These only have been given syrup with Fumidil, that being the best I can do for them now. After our balmy fall and early winter, too many colonies have gotten up top too soon for comfort, and they're too big. However, despite having had candy cakes for several weeks, the amount of candy they've eaten clearly is not the totality of their sustenance. I suspect that candy being easy to cluster beneath and even into, it tides bees over when cold might separate them from their now-scattered honey. As soon as warmth allows them to move about freely, they scrounge up more honey. If this is correct, with the amount of pollen being eaten, one might soon expect a large surge in population suddenly to deplete the remaining scattered honey, causing a real period of danger. Given the size of the clusters I'm not anxious prematurely to wind up my queens, but there are #200 of sugar here for syrup, and the feeders are waiting. I'll be relieved when the largest danger becomes swarming. I lack experience to say more than that the reports of dead colonies sadden me, and that probably it could have happened here, and yet could. Those reporting these difficulties with details of what they found really help the rest of us look for danger. I've repeatedly read the advice to leave the bees alone in winter. Last year I did not, and found foulbrood that was eliminated before warm weather could allow robbing. Already this year that advice would have cost me several colonies. George Imirie's winter question "Are your bees alive?" continues to guide and motivate. Bill Morong ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 14:34:17 EDT Reply-To: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Medhat Nasr Organization: Environ. Biology & Horticulture Subject: SPRING COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPERS' MEETING, Ontario, Canada Comments: cc: Pat Westlake MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT SPRING COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPERS' MEETING MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2000 GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA Sponsored by: Ontario Beekeepers' Association ADVANCE REGISTRATION $ 20.00 DEADLINE POSTMARKED MARCH 20TH REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR $ 30.00 Fees subject to 7% GST 9:00 am Tour * Queen Rearing Operation * New Cowan Line 30 Frame Extractor * Wax Press - F.W. Jones & Son Ltd. * Maxant Spin-float Honey/Wax Separator at Tibor I. Szabo - 309 Hume Road - East on #34 from Hanlon Expressway through Aberfoyle, north on Watson Rd, east on Hume Rd Meeting place: Guelph Holiday Inn - Hwy 6 (Hanlon Expressway & Stone Road) 10:00 am Registration 10:30 am President's Report Graham Roberts 10:45 am Effective Strategy for Parasitic Mite Control in Ontario Medhat Nasr, Tech-Transfer Specialist at the OBA 11:15 am Provincial Report Doug McRory, Provincial Apiarist, OMAFRA 11:30 am Canadian Honey Council Report David MacMillan, Representative 11:50 am Lunch (on your own) 1:00 pm Exporting of Honey - What's Involved? Claire Griffiths, Export Development Officer Export Development Initiative Frontenac, Leeds & Grenville 1:45 pm Are hygienic bees worth the hype? Marla Spivak, St. Paul's MN 2:30 pm Marketing Honey in the New Millennium Janet Horner, Shelburne Send cheque or money order ASAP to: Ontario Beekeepers' Association Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0 For more information contact: Ontario Beekeepers' Association 519-565-2622 phone 519-565-5452 fax ontbee@tcc.on.ca e-mail www.tcc.on.ca/~ontbee Medhat Nasr, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Ontario Beekeepers' Association Dept. Environmental Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: (519) 824-4120 Fax:(519)837-0442 e-mail: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 13:41:23 -0600 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: granny1897 Subject: Re: Dead-outs Three out of seven -- dead in October. Central Louisiana. Had Apistan in for six weeks following the crop in July; took it out around the first of September, weighed the colonies, and gave the light ones heavy sugar syrup in top feeders. All hives had robber screens on them, were in good tight condition, and the feeders didn't leak. Nevertheless, robbing started as soon as we fed them. The fights were stand-offs for a week or so, but eventually three of the colonies were overwhelmed, including the most productive hive in the yard. The surviving colonies are now honey-blocked (or were until we pulled some frames to give to the new replacement colonies). The victims were, I think, destroyed simply by the raiders, without the help of mites. The feeding was probably the cause, I reckon, although I have done fall-feeding for years without significant raiding. Not next fall, though. Incidentally, we have had another non-winter, are well into spring, and are already seven inches behind our average rainfall at this point. We finished last year ten inches behind for the whole year. Despite the dry weather, the bees averaged 100 pounds per colony, including two trapped swarms. Walter Weller ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 15:05:48 EDT Reply-To: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Medhat Nasr Organization: Environ. Biology & Horticulture Subject: Queen Breeding and Rearing Annual Meeting in Ontario, Canada Comments: cc: Pat Westlake MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT ONTARIO BEE BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION Queen Breeding and Rearing Annual Meeting TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2000 GUELPH HOLIDAY INN - GUELPH Sponsored by: Ontario Beekeepers' Association - Ontario Bee Breeders' Association ADVANCE REGISTRATION CND $ 40 DEADLINE POSTMARKED MARCH 20TH (includes lunch - must be paid in advance) REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR $ 30 (no meal) Fees subject to 7% gst. In Ontario, bee breeders have been selecting for tracheal mite resistance for eight years and selecting for the hygienic trait for three years. This selective breeding for mite resistant honey bees represents a major component of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to control parasitic mites. The developed mite resistant-hygienic queens have proven to head bee colonies which can survive tracheal mites and reduce the varroa mite population. Another season is approaching. It is time to get together to discuss the emerging issues and set goals for the next season. Our focus in this meeting will be quality of produced queens, hygienic bees, varroa resistant bees, queen banking, and management of 2-queen colonies. Our guest speaker is Dr. Marla Spivak from the University of Minnesota. She will share her experience in breeding hygienic bees and their impacts on brood diseases and varroa mites. Speakers are Jim Anderson, queen breeder and Chair of the Ontario Bee Breeders' Association; Paul Kelly, Apiarist at the University of Guelph; Phil Laflamme, queen breeder; Doug McRory, Provincial Apiarist, OMAFRA; Dr. Medhat Nasr, Tech-Transfer Specialist Ontario Beekeepers' Association; Dr. Tibor Szabo, Retired Scientist, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada; Geoff Wilson, Research Assistant, OBA. AGENDA 8:30 am Registration/Coffee 9:00 am Welcoming remarks Jim Anderson 9:10 am Ontario Breeding Program: History and Accomplishments Doug McRory 9:30 am Production of Quality Queens: A Concern!!! Medhat Nasr What Do You Get, a Lemon Queen or a Peach Queen? Geoff Wilson 10:20 am Double Honey Bee Nuc-System Use in Beekeeping Paul Kelly 11:00 am Breeding for hygienic behavior: stock selection and maintenance Marla Spivak 12:00 pm Lunch (by reservation only) 1:15 pm Report on Breeding Varroa-Resistant Honey Bees Tibor I. Szabo 2:00 pm Queen Banking Ins and Outs Phil Laflamme 2:45 pm Coffee Break 3:00 pm Thoughts About Bees, Resistance and Mites Medhat Nasr 3:45 pm Business Discussion Jim Anderson Among other questions: "Advertising Ontario Queens & Nucs - Shall We Work Together?" ADVANCE REGISTRATION FOR MEETINGS/MEMBERSHIPS April 4th Ontario Bee Breeders', Guelph $40.00 (includes lunch)__________ GST 7%: -------------- Send cheque or money order ASAP to: Ontario Beekeepers' Association Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0 For more information contact: Ontario Beekeepers' Association 519-565-2622 phone 519-565-5452 fax ontbee@tcc.on.ca e-mail www.tcc.on.ca/~ontbee Medhat Nasr, Ph.D. Research Scientist, Ontario Beekeepers' Association Dept. Environmental Biology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: (519) 824-4120 Fax:(519)837-0442 e-mail: mnasr@evbhort.uoguelph.ca ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 20:37:45 +0000 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: Murray McGregor Subject: Re: why do beekeepers use bottom boards? In-Reply-To: <200002290137.UAA05711@listserv.albany.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 In article <200002290137.UAA05711@listserv.albany.edu>, Andrew Dubas writes > can anyone find a beehive in the wild that their >entrance is below the comb ? It is usually 99.9% above the nest. So why do >we use commercial bottom boards ? This assertion does not equate at all with our experience. In my (even?) more foolish days I was frequently called on to deal with feral colonies in a wide variety of places, some of which were downright dangerous to reach. In wall and roof spaces the colony was usually above the hole, but not always. All depends on the position of the hole relative to the space. The bees just hang their combs from the top of the cavity and work downwards, with little regard for where the hole is. There is one feral colony (in a hollow tree) I keep an eye on near one of my sites and looking in the hole you can see the bottom of the combs hanging there, and only vacant space below. What I can say about those with high entrance holes is that they tend to have a large accumulation of rubbish in the bottom of their space, which can be in a variety of states of decay, even up to the comb bottoms in places with lots of mould etc. The low entrance colonies are much cleaner, often well varnished all the way to the entrance. > Also having bottom boards allows an easier >entrance for mites to re-enter the hive. Given that the behaviour of mites (particularly varroa) has been discussed at length by a variety of posters recently I cannot see this as a serious issue. Perhaps it will occasionally happen, but compared to bee-bee transfer in the field, and particularly re-infestation in the autumn, which will occur wherever the entrance hole is, I am sure it is not important. >Seems ferral colonies that >are high up in the trees or in soffits in homes they don't have mite >problems. So why do almost all feral colonies (including high ones) die in the first wave of varroa if they don't get mites? -- Murray McGregor ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 16:24:43 EST Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: GImasterBK@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Dead-outs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Walter: You did not mention treating for TRACHEAL mites. If your bees were "sick" from tracheal mite infection which had become PMS (parasitic mite syndrome), they could not defend themselves against robbers and just plain died. Were there many DEAD bees in the hives when you opened them? Generally, bees that die of tracheal mite infection die outside because they can't BREATHE and leave only a small group inside the hive, who can't defend the hive. The ONLY killer of tracheal mites is MENTHOL up until this week. Starting yesterday, a Formic Acid Gel named APICURE, is being shipped to bee supply houses that is supposed to kill 100% of tracheal mites, plus 70% of Varroa mites. Because they are invisible to humans, many beekeepers just ASSUME that tracheal mites aren't around any more, and they lose colonies. Shucks, you have Dr. Tom Rinderer and Dr. John Harbo right in your back door at the Baton Rouge Lab, so ask them about Tracheal Mites. Just thought I would help. George Imirie - Beekeeping in Maryland for 68 years and treating against Tracheal mites for 15 years, and never lost any of my 100+ colonies to Tracheal mites, while neighbors who did not treat with menthol lost many. I write an awful lot of articles every month about how to UPGRADE from HAVING bees to KEEPING bees. They are two different WEB's: www.cybertours.com/~midnitebee/ click the lower right image and www.beekeeper.org/george_imirie/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 19:51:05 PST Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: GREGOIRE@ENDOR.COM Subject: Spring, New England, II MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Hello Gang, Temperatures in the 50s allowed a close inspection of all hives. The robust hives ate themselves out of house and home and have not a whole lot of stores left. The average hive is doing the best with a full Illinois super left to eat. The US Farm Report show that I watch on Saturday morning has a very good weather section. You can get it on the net at farmpage.com The weather man pointed out a long term drought in the east and says it will continue this year. This has me rethinking my over winter plans for the up coming year. I should have pulled some nucs out of those robust hives in August to save winter feed. The winter was very mild. I had left more than enough for a normal winter and even though they still have some left, I do not believe they will make it to the sustaining bloom without feed. If we get an repeat performance of 1999, I'll take some nucs out if the colonies are super strong. So far so good, no losses here. Ernie Gregoire "Beekeeper," definition= partially brave, partially excentric Grist Mill Apiary Canaan, NH. USA ------------------------------------- 01/28/99 19:49:48 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 20:48:29 -0500 Reply-To: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology Sender: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology From: darrells Subject: Re: anti-varroa bottom boards Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Jean Pierre wrote: > I will experiment the screened bottoms next summer. I was planning to try > using tobacco smoke in my smoker to artificially provocate the mite fall. In > Ontario tobacco smoke has been used in conjunction with a sticky board as a > sampling method. This method has been discarted because it was not sensitive > enough to show early infestations. Nevertheless I think tobacco could be of > some help. Has anybody used tobacco smoke aganist varroa? What is the best > type of tobacco for this purpose? I have used tobacco smoke, on nasty hives, for several years. I save the mean hives till last and put a small amount of leaf in the smoker before opening the hive. I purchased a grocery bag of culled cured tobacco leaf from another beekeeper who has contacts in southern Ontario. Late last July, I noticed damaged bees(little or no wings) in several hives. I put sticky boards on the hive bottom boards then smoked the top bars heavily and closed the hive. 4 hours later the sticky boards were removed revealing hundreds of Varroa mites in several hives. These were treated with Apistan after the honey supers were removed and most survived. Several hives that didn't show as many mites were treated with Apistan later in August but died in the fall. Bees don't like tobacco smoke and its hard on the beekeeper if you get downwind of the smoker but it seems to knock Varroa for a loop. Whether it is effective as a treatment or just as a quick test I can't say. A closer look at all of the sticky boards or another test in a week or two might have saved the other hives. Bob Darrell Caledon Ontario Canada 80W 44N