Varroa Mite IPM (2025 Best Practices) — FarmPal

Key Points

• 🐝Monitor mite levels monthly using alcohol wash or sugar roll (3% threshold = treat)
• 🐝Treat in late summer BEFORE mite population crashes winter bees
• 🐝Rotate treatments to prevent resistance
• 🐝Organic acids (oxalic, formic) are effective and leave no residues in wax
• 🐝2025 research: timing of late-summer treatment is the single biggest factor in winter survival

Steps

1. 1March-April: First mite check when colony has 6+ frames of brood
2. 2Use alcohol wash method (most accurate): 300 bees in jar, add alcohol, shake, count mites
3. 3If >3 mites per 100 bees (3%): treat immediately
4. 4Spring: Formic acid strips (MAQS) work with supers on
5. 5Mid-August: Critical treatment window oxalic acid dribble or vaporization
6. 6October-November: Broodless period oxalic acid treatment (when no brood present)
7. 7Never treat with synthetic chemicals (Apistan, CheckMite+) resistance is widespread

Tips

• 💡The alcohol wash kills ~300 bees but saves the colony worth the sacrifice
• 💡Sugar rolls undercount mites by 30-50% adjust threshold accordingly
• 💡Oxalic acid vaporization is the gold standard for broodless period treatment
• 💡Drone brood trapping (removing drone frames) removes 10-15% of mites naturally
• 💡Brood breaks (requeening, caging queen) make treatments much more effective