Bee test

The bee sample is a method for determining the degree of varroa infestation in honey bees.

Procedure

A certain number of adult honey bees (approx. 300 - 500) including the varroa mites that sit on them is removed from the colony. The bees and Varroa mites are killed by freezing. The varroa mites are then washed off the bees with a rinsing solution through a sieve and counted. The ratio of the number of mites to the number of bees gives the degree of infestation.

advantages

Very good accuracy. The number of bees as well as the number of Varroa mites can be determined exactly. This method is used at numerous research institutions because of its high accuracy.

criticism

The bees are killed in this method.

Individual evidence

↑ ADIZ 08/2011 pp. 7-9.

Web links

Methods of infestation control, washout test (PDF; 1559 kB) at lwg.bayern.de
Determination of the infestation strength at die-honigmacher.de

[1] ADIZ 08/2011 pp. 7-9.