We have been getting reports of high varroa numbers in some hives this spring, possibly as a result of the mild winter enabling queens to continue laying and allowing the varroa to multiply. It is recommended therefore, that you put your monitoring trays in under your open mesh floors for 7 days and do a daily mite drop count to see whether any remedial action is required.

Further details on varroa control will be available to all paid up PBKA members in the quarterly newsletter, which has just been sent out. Information can also be found on the BeeBase website, which has a very useful varroa calculator.

Note that ignoring the problem will not make it go away and only result in lost colonies, so urgent action is required from all beekeepers!

Feedback on your findings, whether from within Pembrokeshire or outside, would be gratefully received at pbkaapiarymanager@live.co.uk in order that we can report further.