April 13, 2026

Varroa Management Guide Update with Dewey Caron (380)

In this episode of Beekeeping Today Podcast, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome Dr. Dewey Caron for a wide-ranging discussion on Varroa management, beekeeping education, and the evolving work of the Honey Bee Health Coalition.

Dewey shares his journey from academic entomology to a “retirement” filled with teaching, research, and extension work across the Pacific Northwest. Now based in Oregon, he continues to educate beekeepers through presentations, writing, and his monthly Bee Science series on the podcast.

A central focus of the episode is Dewey’s work with the Honey Bee Health Coalition (HBHC), which brings together researchers, beekeepers, industry representatives, and regulators to provide science-based, unbiased guidance for honey bee health. Dewey explains how the Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management guide has evolved since its first release in 2014 and is now approaching its ninth edition.

One of the most important updates discussed is a shift in recommended Varroa thresholds. Where beekeepers once tolerated higher mite levels, emerging research and field experience show that even low mite counts—around 1%—can present significant risk due to the viruses Varroa mites vector, including Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and related pathogens.

The conversation also highlights the Coalition’s decision tool, which helps beekeepers navigate treatment options based on their management style, seasonal timing, and colony conditions. Dewey emphasizes that successful Varroa management is not about a single product, but about integrating monitoring, thresholds, and multiple control strategies.

The episode also touches on Dewey’s long-running Pacific Northwest colony loss survey, offering insights into overwintering success, beekeeper experience levels, and management practices across the region.

This episode reinforces a key message: effective beekeeping today requires informed, proactive Varroa management grounded in science and adapted to changing conditions.

Websites from the episode and others we recommend:

Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org
Project Apis m. (PAm): https://www.projectapism.org
The National Honey Board: https://honey.com
Honey Bee Obscura Podcast: https://honeybeeobscura.com

______________

Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!

A logo with a bee on it AI-generated content may be incorrect.

As a beekeeper, you want products that benefit you and your bees. When you choose Premier Bee Products, you choose hive components that are healthier for bees and more productive for you. Because we believe that in beekeeping, details make all the difference. Premier Bee Products: Better for bees. Better for beekeepers. Use promo code PODCAST for 10% off your next online order.

A logo with a bee in a circle AI-generated content may be incorrect.

APIS Tactical is a beekeeping brand focused on innovation. We create a wide range of gear for beekeepers of all types—whether you’re managing a few hives or working bees every day. We combine science and artistry to create purposeful, hardworking gear. We’re here to help you care for your bees with confidence, so you can focus on what matters most—your hive.

Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about their line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com

HiveIQ

HiveIQ is revolutionizing the way beekeepers manage their colonies with innovative, insulated hive systems designed for maximum colony health and efficiency. Their hives maintain stable temperatures year-round, reduce stress on the bees, and are built to last using durable, lightweight materials. Whether you’re managing two hives or two hundred, HiveIQ’s smart design helps your bees thrive while saving you time and effort. Learn more at HiveIQ.com.

Vita-Bee-Health

We’d like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.

Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry.

_______________

We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Wedding Day by Boomer; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart; Bolero de la Fontero by Rimsky Music; Perfect Sky by Graceful Movement; I'm Not Running Away This Time by Max Brodie; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott.

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

** As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases

WEBVTT

00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.160
Hi, I'm Eric Debaker.

00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:08.480
I'm a first-year beekeeper from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, here at the Midwest Honey Bee Expo.

00:00:08.360 --> 00:00:11.639
Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast.

00:00:11.639 --> 00:00:19.000
Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast presented by Betterbee, your source for beekeeping news, information, and entertainment.

00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.119
I'm Jeff Ott.

00:00:20.119 --> 00:00:21.640
And I'm Becky Masterman.

00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:23.000
Today's episode is brought to you

00:00:23.520 --> 00:00:26.480
By the bee nutrition superheroes at Global Patties.

00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:34.080
Family operated and buzzing with passion, Global Patties crafts protein-packed patties that'll turn your hives into powerhouse production.

00:00:34.080 --> 00:00:38.080
Picture this: strong colonies, booming brood, and hundreds.

00:00:38.360 --> 00:00:39.800
Money flowing like a sweet river.

00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:43.160
It's super protein for your bees and they love it.

00:00:43.160 --> 00:00:48.840
Check out their buffet of patties, tailor-made, for your bees in your specific area.

00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:50.840
Head over to www.

00:00:51.080 --> 00:00:52.280
globalpatties.

00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:52.920
com and give your

00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:05.360
Hey, a quick shout out to Betterbee and all of our sponsors whose support allows us to bring you this podcast each week without resorting to a fee-based subscription.

00:01:05.360 --> 00:01:08.080
We don't want that and we know you don't either.

00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:11.560
Be sure to check out all of our content on the website.

00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:23.159
There, you can read up on all of our guests, read our blog on the various aspects and observations about beekeeping, search for, download, and listen to over 300 past episodes, read episodes transcripts.

00:01:23.759 --> 00:01:29.680
Leave comments and feedback on each episode, and check on podcast specials from our sponsors.

00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:32.479
You can find it all at www.

00:01:32.479 --> 00:01:34.000
beekeepingtoday.

00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:34.880
com.

00:01:34.880 --> 00:01:38.159
Thank you, Eric, for that great open.

00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:40.760
Opening from the floor of the Midwest Honey Bee Expo.

00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:41.640
Wonderful, Eric.

00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:43.720
We really do appreciate those openings.

00:01:43.720 --> 00:01:45.000
Do we need more, Jeff?

00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.720
Are we running out or do you have a stack?

00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:50.760
We are good for openers.

00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:56.920
Of course, we're always looking for someone to send us an opening from, say, Idaho and Utah.

00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:58.840
Oh, we do have Utah.

00:01:58.380 --> 00:01:59.980
Did we ever get North Dakota?

00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:04.860
The Dakotas are still absent on our listener map.

00:02:04.860 --> 00:02:09.820
You and I are going to be at the Tri-State Beekeeping Conference.

00:02:09.720 --> 00:02:16.040
in July of this year, and we are going to get so many openers from North and South Dakota.

00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:16.920
We better.

00:02:16.920 --> 00:02:17.640
We better.

00:02:17.640 --> 00:02:19.159
Here are the states we're missing.

00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:21.560
North Dakota, South Dakota.

00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:29.740
Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, Louisiana, West Virginia.

00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:32.060
Come on, that's my alma mater for college.

00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:34.220
Come on, West Virginia.

00:02:34.020 --> 00:02:41.860
West Virginia, Virginia, and then there's a variety of states on the East Coast that I can't see on the map, but they're missing.

00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:43.380
So New Jersey's missing.

00:02:43.380 --> 00:02:45.140
I can't believe New Jersey's missing.

00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:46.660
That's a big state

00:02:46.640 --> 00:02:49.920
Yeah, Vermont and I think that's Connecticut.

00:02:50.239 --> 00:02:51.519
Connecticut there.

00:02:51.519 --> 00:02:52.400
Oh yeah.

00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:56.159
So we have a few states and we have no one from Mexico.

00:02:56.480 --> 00:02:57.920
Nobody from Mexico.

00:02:57.940 --> 00:03:02.900
BC is missing, Saskatchewan is missing, Alberta is missing.

00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:04.900
So come on, beekeepers.

00:03:04.980 --> 00:03:07.620
And then I would just like to say I noticed

00:03:07.540 --> 00:03:10.340
that we're trending in Italy right now.

00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:15.540
So I would just like I'd love to have a listener opener from Italy.

00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:16.740
That would be great.

00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:20.879
And if I have to go there myself to get it, Jeff, I would do that for this podcast.

00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:21.920
Wow.

00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:22.239
Wow.

00:03:22.480 --> 00:03:26.480
Just like in June or July of this year, I'd be willing to do that.

00:03:26.260 --> 00:03:30.100
I've sat here thinking about it and Yeah, but it's probably not a good idea.

00:03:30.100 --> 00:03:32.260
Probably can't make that Italy trip work.

00:03:32.260 --> 00:03:33.060
Ah, okay.

00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:38.740
Well thanks for letting me know and uh we'll just have to depend upon our listeners to just

00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:43.660
We'll count on that.

00:03:43.660 --> 00:03:46.459
And listeners, if you want to record an opening, just

00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:49.180
Go to our website, beekeepingstate podcast.

00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:49.580
com.

00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:53.660
Go to the home page or actually any page that pops up in the lower right hand corner.

00:03:53.660 --> 00:03:55.740
There is a microphone icon.

00:03:55.740 --> 00:03:57.500
You can click on that and just

00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:06.400
speak right into your computer and leave us an opening that would be wonderful and also for our listener question you can do the same thing with our listener question

00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:10.420
Speaking of which, we are going to do our loosener question with Dr.

00:04:10.420 --> 00:04:14.580
Dewey Caron right after these words from our sponsors.

00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:21.299
For more than forty-five years, Betterbee has proudly supported beekeepers by offering high quality

00:04:21.739 --> 00:04:33.580
innovative products, providing outstanding customer service, many of our staff are beekeepers themselves, and sharing education to help beekeepers succeed.

00:04:33.580 --> 00:04:36.220
Based in Greenwich, New York,

00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:40.260
Betterbee serves beekeepers all across the United States.

00:04:40.260 --> 00:04:51.060
Whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro, Betterbee has the products and experience to help you and your bees succeed.

00:04:51.039 --> 00:04:52.800
Visit betterbee.

00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:59.440
com or call 1-800-632-3379.

00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:03.039
Betterbee, your partners in Better beekeeping.

00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:18.300
This episode of Beekeeping Today podcast is brought to you in part by Apis Tactical, a beekeeping brand focused on innovation.

00:05:18.300 --> 00:05:19.660
They use new designs.

00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:23.940
Designs, new materials, and new ideas to bring more joy to beekeeping.

00:05:23.940 --> 00:05:28.820
Apis Tactical creates a wide range of gear for beekeepers of all types.

00:05:28.820 --> 00:05:34.180
They use new designs, new materials, and new ideas to bring more joy to beekeeping.

00:05:34.700 --> 00:05:43.340
Our products are built with purpose and they're already getting attention well beyond the US, with beekeepers in Europe discovering them through this podcast.

00:05:43.340 --> 00:05:49.580
If you're looking for well-made beekeeping gear from a company that understands the work, take a look at APIS TACTICAL.

00:05:49.580 --> 00:05:49.660
com

00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:53.700
You can learn more at Apis-Tactical.

00:05:53.700 --> 00:05:54.340
com.

00:05:54.340 --> 00:05:56.420
Hey everybody, welcome back.

00:05:56.420 --> 00:06:02.100
Sitting around the great big virtual beekeeping today podcast table down in Portland, Oregon.

00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:02.900
We have Dr.

00:06:02.900 --> 00:06:04.500
Dewey Caron.

00:06:04.260 --> 00:06:05.620
And Becky's in St.

00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:09.540
Paul, and I'm up the road from Dewey in Olympia, Washington.

00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:12.980
Dewey, welcome officially to the Beekeeping Today podcast show.

00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:13.700
Thank you, Jeff.

00:06:13.700 --> 00:06:14.820
And hello, Becky.

00:06:14.820 --> 00:06:16.340
Glad to join you.

00:06:15.940 --> 00:06:16.820
Hello.

00:06:16.820 --> 00:06:18.420
I'm so happy you're here.

00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:24.180
You've been a part of the podcast for a while, but we haven't officially had a conversation.

00:06:24.320 --> 00:06:25.360
in an episode.

00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:26.880
So this is going to be fun.

00:06:26.880 --> 00:06:27.440
Oh good.

00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:27.920
Me too.

00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:28.640
I think so.

00:06:28.640 --> 00:06:36.480
As Becky pointed out, you've recorded with us uh for the about the last year or more, doing occasional shorts

00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:42.520
And we decided recently to make that official and do it a regular monthly series.

00:06:42.520 --> 00:06:47.400
But before we go into that, why don't you tell our listeners who may not be familiar with you.

00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:51.620
Who you are and a little bit about your background and bees.

00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:55.780
As indicated Jeff, I'm on the West Coast now down the road in Portland.

00:06:55.639 --> 00:07:03.880
I moved to Portland, Oregon in 2009, after I had uh retired, well, one of my first retirements, from teaching.

00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:12.620
I was a biologist, an ecologist at my undergraduate school and went to the University of Tennessee and did a master's degree in ecology.

00:07:12.200 --> 00:07:23.800
And then looking around to continue my education, I uh focused on uh Cornell University and uh had a couple of options, study stream insects and study honey bees

00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:25.260
So I went into the office of Dr.

00:07:25.260 --> 00:07:29.500
Roger Morris and said, Yeah, um, you know, honey beast, what are you doing?

00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:31.260
What's you know, what's going on?

00:07:31.260 --> 00:07:34.140
I said, but um I don't know if I've ever been stung.

00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:36.180
Said well we can fix that right away.

00:07:36.180 --> 00:07:41.620
And out we went, up to a beehive he picked one up, put it on my arm, and I survived

00:07:43.440 --> 00:07:46.320
And so began a longer saga with bees.

00:07:46.320 --> 00:07:52.000
I did the Boy Scout merit badge a while back when they still had a uh beekeeping merit badge

00:07:51.840 --> 00:07:56.480
I just fell into my niche for the rest of my professional life.

00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:03.840
I uh finished up at Cornell, took a administrative job there, and then got an offer for a position in the University of Maryland

00:08:03.539 --> 00:08:07.780
the briefkeeping professor there, Al Deetz, had left for uh Georgia.

00:08:07.780 --> 00:08:15.860
And so I took that position and went through promotion, eleven years there, was acting chairman as our chairman went to Brazil for some work on soybeans.

00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:22.540
And then at the very last moment applied for uh chairman of Entomology and Applied Ecology job at University of Delaware.

00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.980
They somehow in their wisdom I guess or lack of

00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:28.880
um invited me to become chairman.

00:08:28.880 --> 00:08:35.520
And so I w went up the I ninety five, about an hour and a half away, to New Art, Delaware, and I stayed.

00:08:35.520 --> 00:08:37.200
I stayed for twenty nine years.

00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:40.960
Didn't stay as department chairman all that time, but I did stay there.

00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:46.720
Doing extension and research, still in the area of pollinating, pollinating uh critters.

00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:53.440
I also did a lot with uh insects around homes and gardens and or what we call ornamental insects

00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:56.720
And uh as well, did some greenhouse IPM work.

00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.320
So did a bunch of different things.

00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:03.840
We had a entomology and an applied ecology department of of uh only five entomologists.

00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:04.080
So

00:09:04.160 --> 00:09:07.280
We ended up doing a bunch of different jobs over the years.

00:09:07.280 --> 00:09:10.480
Different uh you know, taking on different types of tasks.

00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:14.400
Then as I indicated, in two thousand nine, retired.

00:09:14.160 --> 00:09:22.800
My sons had moved to Portland, Oregon and started families and so it was yeah, coming out on the west coast and spending two weeks in there

00:09:23.040 --> 00:09:30.160
and their extra bedroom, uh, slash work rooms, slash, you know uh whatever.

00:09:30.160 --> 00:09:32.000
Uh or moving here.

00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:34.160
So I like the idea of moving here, so we did.

00:09:34.160 --> 00:09:35.360
We moved out in March.

00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.279
I've been here since then of March at

00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:38.280
Two thousand ten.

00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:40.840
Doesn't see that I can't believe it's been that long.

00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.400
In retirement I thought I'd do a bunch of different things.

00:09:43.400 --> 00:09:45.400
I didn't think I'd sit around and watch TV.

00:09:45.400 --> 00:09:46.360
I haven't.

00:09:46.339 --> 00:09:56.019
I thought I'd yeah, about uh nature center making trails in the there's so many trails here in the Pacific Northwest, some lovely walking trails, hiking trails.

00:09:56.140 --> 00:10:02.780
Started to work with Xirzi Society, the largest nonprofit for uh invertebrate conservation issues.

00:10:02.780 --> 00:10:07.420
And then we started a master beekeeper program with a committee.

00:10:07.339 --> 00:10:17.819
uh couple years after I was here and so I volunteered to be on the committee and it's just led from one thing to another so I'm essentially doing extension entomology

00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.320
as a volunteer out here and just loving it.

00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:26.120
I some weeks uh like last week I did of six days I did five presentations.

00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.839
So that th those are busier weeks than others.

00:10:28.839 --> 00:10:29.080
But

00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:31.780
I average over a hundred presentations.

00:10:31.780 --> 00:10:37.860
I still write for the journals and nature issues, so I guess that's not an elevator speech, but

00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:39.780
A little bit of some of my background.

00:10:39.780 --> 00:10:40.580
I don't know it.

00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:44.340
Doctor Kieran, I think I've counted at least four careers.

00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:47.220
It's very impressive.

00:10:47.540 --> 00:10:53.459
Yeah, I gotta stop uh retiring Becky and getting uh the things that you get at retirement, you know.

00:10:53.459 --> 00:10:56.580
So uh actually my watch that I had is

00:10:56.660 --> 00:10:58.660
Has quit, so maybe it's time to retire again.

00:11:00.420 --> 00:11:02.980
Oh, don't do that to us.

00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:04.260
That would be bad.

00:11:04.260 --> 00:11:07.940
One little bit of trivia that maybe not too many people know

00:11:08.140 --> 00:11:22.860
of and that keeps it all here in the Beekeeping Today podcast family, is that you had a student way back when, one of your PhD students who's also a member of the Beekeeping Today podcast,

00:11:22.680 --> 00:11:23.480
And that was Dr.

00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:24.600
Jimmy too?

00:11:24.680 --> 00:11:25.639
Yes, indeedy.

00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.560
Jim was one of the early ones that I had, University of Maryland.

00:11:29.560 --> 00:11:34.040
I had uh half a dozen there in Maryland at that time.

00:11:34.180 --> 00:11:45.620
And this kid from Alabama walks in the office one day and uh he uh he says, I'm interested in uh doing uh some more my education been from Auburn.

00:11:45.339 --> 00:11:51.100
I couldn't understand what he was saying, but eventually I could understand the uh the language.

00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:57.339
And uh for some reason he w he wanted to be in the area and he of course comes from a beekeeping family

00:11:57.060 --> 00:12:01.460
And his dad had been in with bees and he'd had some bees while he was at Auburn.

00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:07.220
So uh I said, You're sure, come on, come on down, we'll do some uh pollination research.

00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:09.300
So I guess that's how we started.

00:12:09.300 --> 00:12:19.540
I then I then left him and went on uh sabbatic to USDA lab in Tucson and left Jim in charge and we had uh honey sales from University of Maryland Honey

00:12:19.540 --> 00:12:20.980
right there in the front desk.

00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:24.420
We had a separate building at Maryland for bees.

00:12:24.420 --> 00:12:27.940
And one day one of the university auditors came in and

00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.720
Wanted to see the books for the honey sales.

00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:35.120
Well, we didn't have any book.

00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:38.320
It wasn't official.

00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:43.320
Uh I got this panic phone call uh s uh from Jim.

00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:44.920
What am I gonna do?

00:12:44.920 --> 00:12:47.160
I said, well, figure out something.

00:12:47.160 --> 00:12:49.240
And Jim was resilient.

00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:50.680
He did, he figured out something.

00:12:50.839 --> 00:12:51.000
We

00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:55.180
I think he we gave him about a half a case of honey and he went away.

00:12:56.459 --> 00:12:58.060
The auditor did.

00:12:58.060 --> 00:12:58.940
The auditor did.

00:12:58.940 --> 00:12:59.259
Yeah.

00:12:59.259 --> 00:12:59.899
Not him.

00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:00.940
The auditor went away.

00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:01.819
Yeah.

00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:04.800
Jim's not here to defend himself or add to it, but that's a fun story.

00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:06.880
I'm glad you shared that with us.

00:13:10.640 --> 00:13:10.960
Funds.

00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:13.360
No boy, they sure aren't Becky.

00:13:13.520 --> 00:13:14.880
Undeclared revenue

00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:26.560
Well, uh we have our ongoing listener question series, part of our promotion with Hive IQ, where they've provided us with their

00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.100
Really nice high IQ tool.

00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:34.540
It's co-branded with their name, but on the other side is the Beekeeping Day podcast brand.

00:13:34.540 --> 00:13:40.300
We have listeners either leave us a voicemail message or write in a question

00:13:40.520 --> 00:13:43.000
for us to answer in the podcast.

00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.280
And our only caveat is that we're gonna answer it.

00:13:46.280 --> 00:13:48.040
We're not guaranteed it's the right answer.

00:13:48.040 --> 00:13:50.600
I mean it would just it depends.

00:13:50.640 --> 00:13:59.280
But this is a special time because you're going to be with us and you can help us answer this question and we can pretty much assure them that it's mostly right.

00:13:59.280 --> 00:14:00.640
That it'll be right.

00:14:00.660 --> 00:14:01.060
Yeah.

00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:03.460
Yes, three beekeepers you get six answers.

00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:08.820
So I think there might just be one right answer to this question though.

00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:12.180
What's the question there, Becky?

00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:21.040
Well we got a question from Kenneth Moore and Kenneth asked if it is okay to use menthol cough drops in his hives.

00:14:21.040 --> 00:14:22.079
In his colonies?

00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:26.160
Yeah, I would I would ask if the bees if it's a dry cough.

00:14:25.459 --> 00:14:26.740
Or wet cough.

00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:29.940
The bees, you know, you have to listen.

00:14:29.940 --> 00:14:30.899
Sorry, Ken.

00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:32.820
I'm just Oh boy.

00:14:33.459 --> 00:14:36.980
Yeah, I don't think does he get two hive tools if you make a bad joke?

00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:38.899
I don't know what the rules are

00:14:38.900 --> 00:14:40.660
Yeah, I'm afraid he'd stab me with them.

00:14:40.660 --> 00:14:48.820
In all honesty, menthol cough drops made me, and I've told you guys, it took me right back to the tracheomite days when we used a lot of menthol in the hives.

00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:51.940
Yeah, that's what it's going back to, I have a feeling.

00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:52.580
Yeah

00:14:52.400 --> 00:14:54.640
Tracheomites have not disappeared.

00:14:54.640 --> 00:14:56.160
They are not common.

00:14:56.160 --> 00:15:03.040
The mitocides we're using for Varroa seem to be also taking care of keeping down populations of tracheomite

00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:06.260
I think is there menthol in April Life Var?

00:15:06.260 --> 00:15:08.420
I know there's Eucalyptus and Tymol.

00:15:08.420 --> 00:15:10.420
I think it might have menthol in it too.

00:15:10.420 --> 00:15:11.460
Yeah, you're right.

00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:12.000
It does.

00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:19.680
Ape yeah, apolite bar is a real good material for bromites, but it's not too commonly used.

00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:29.920
To Ken's question, placing Hall's menthol cough drops and put them on the inner cover or even on a bottom board in the in the colony, is that harmful to the bees or to the honey?

00:15:29.920 --> 00:15:31.680
Is there a problem with that?

00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:36.480
It's not going to be harmful, but it's not also going to be very helpful.

00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.440
To understand, you know, dealing with a pest.

00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.160
In this case, we're to say talking tracheal mite.

00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:46.240
you have to have a certain level of the poison that you're putting in.

00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:51.040
Many of the poisons that we use are fairly common materials.

00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:56.960
Oxalic acid is in, you know, rhubarb and carrots and a lot of foods that we eat.

00:15:56.740 --> 00:16:03.140
And we can eat it, and it's not harmful to us, even if we ate a lot of carrots or a lot of rhubarb.

00:16:03.140 --> 00:16:08.420
But to kill the pest, we're going to have to up the concentration.

00:16:08.420 --> 00:16:16.579
So the cough drops, you'd you'd want to, uh you would typically they'd crush them up and then sprinkle them on top.

00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:22.120
So the uh the menthol in that case is just not going to be in a high enough concentration.

00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:31.000
It's dummy down so that we can put it in our mouth and you know, help solve the sore throat, the sticky throat, the cough, whatever.

00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:40.240
But there's just not enough of it there that's going to do in the be a poison, enough strength to be a poison to kill the tracheomite.

00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:48.340
So it's not going to harm anything, but it's also not going to help if you indeed think you have a tracheal mite problem.

00:16:47.959 --> 00:16:51.640
It could also possibly get into the comb though, couldn't it?

00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:52.680
It could.

00:16:52.680 --> 00:16:56.200
It's a it's a pretty low concentration, but you're right.

00:16:56.200 --> 00:17:00.519
As if you've got it on when the bees are bringing in nectar

00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:15.360
that the that ripening nectar, because it's put in the shell uh put in the comb cells and you know, painted in there and it's a big surface initially as uh the bees are trying to, you know, dehydrate it to get the water out of it.

00:17:15.260 --> 00:17:25.740
And so though that can absorb that uh that odor, that mental odor, and so you would have um sort of you might have a mentally related type of uh taste

00:17:26.040 --> 00:17:33.960
I think you'd have to have a lot of cough drops, more than one pack of cough drops, you'd have to have a lot to have a fairly strong odor.

00:17:34.280 --> 00:17:37.560
I love that Kenneth is trying to help his bees, but

00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:42.540
Kenneth, keep the cough drops for yourself, right?

00:17:42.540 --> 00:17:44.140
I think that's good advice.

00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:44.860
Yeah.

00:17:44.860 --> 00:17:46.940
Well thanks, Ken, for that question.

00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:48.380
And we'll be in touch soon.

00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:52.860
Get your shipping address and get you your hive tool from Hive IQ.

00:17:52.940 --> 00:17:53.980
in the mail.

00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:56.059
Now on the B Science, Dr.

00:17:56.059 --> 00:18:00.700
Dewey Caron, tell us about your new series that you are starting up.

00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:02.620
What is it and what's it about?

00:18:02.600 --> 00:18:03.960
Now I'm real excited.

00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:09.080
I have done a couple three podcasts, you know, on different titles.

00:18:09.080 --> 00:18:10.520
I know we've done

00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:17.140
uh a couple that related to the work that we're doing with the Honey Bee Health Coalition, which we can get into as a topic.

00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:23.700
But one of the issues things that came up is that the interest with the podcast to do uh shorter versions, not

00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:28.680
the uh the longer interview versions, but one person uh presenting thoughts and ideas.

00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:35.320
And so I was asked to do some shorts and gladly uh agreed to do some of those as part of

00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:41.380
what I've I feel I'm doing now and giving back um all those years that I've worked with bees.

00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:46.260
And then we seg that into a new series, a shorts again

00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:54.919
shorts in terms of B science with myself with uh my talking uh fifteen to twenty minutes on some sort of a topic.

00:18:54.919 --> 00:18:59.320
What we're looking at for the each of the episodes, we're doing one a month

00:18:59.260 --> 00:19:07.740
It's being released about the middle of the month, so uh near the end of the month, I'll get together and we'll do the recording and then you do all the wonderful things that

00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:11.820
of getting all the coughs and everything else out of the recording.

00:19:11.820 --> 00:19:14.940
Um and so then it's released in the middle of the month.

00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:21.020
So what we're trying to do with each of the episodes is to blend research, be research obviously

00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:29.280
with the practical aspects of for example the field experience trying to work both of those in and

00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:38.220
Because we're doing a monthly also to bring in seasonal context, in other words, what's happening then, what might be occurring then

00:19:38.620 --> 00:19:46.860
We're promoting it as focusing on the why be w behind honey bee biology and behavior.

00:19:46.820 --> 00:19:56.020
all my life whenever w anyone asked me a question, I often then start the answer by talking what the bees do, what's the biology.

00:19:55.960 --> 00:20:00.040
and then you know, then get to their question that they asked.

00:20:00.040 --> 00:20:02.760
So for meeting presentations like et cetera.

00:20:02.760 --> 00:20:07.000
And we welcome any suggestions you might have as to the type of topics.

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000
Usually try to cover

00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:21.720
things that are newish, we provide some resources at the end that then can help you get into the if you're interested to get a little bit more detail into the some of the biology that was covered

00:20:21.560 --> 00:20:25.880
particularly the newish biology that was covered during each of the episodes.

00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:32.040
De Clarify, we're looking to get your series out the third Wednesday of every month.

00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:40.240
It's so clear when you listen to each episode that you do that you've you must have really enjoyed

00:20:40.540 --> 00:20:50.060
teaching when you were at the university because you everything is laid out so carefully and clearly and so easy to follow.

00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:55.860
Are you putting as much work into this as it seems like because it's it's so impressive?

00:20:55.860 --> 00:20:59.220
I found my niche, Becky, in teaching.

00:20:58.600 --> 00:21:05.880
I enjoyed immensely, and I taught undergrads, I taught grad students of course, and I taught in the honors courses as well

00:21:06.360 --> 00:21:08.039
Each of the levels were challenging.

00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:15.399
I never ever went into a class picking the a lecture just from my notes without a review of it.

00:21:15.399 --> 00:21:20.200
Sometimes I didn't change very much, but at least I reviewed it before I went in

00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:22.880
And I like to in engage the students.

00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:28.160
And so going to bee meetings before the audience, you know, that's that's engaging.

00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:34.880
They're um they're non-traditional students as beekeepers, but it's it's still the same effect.

00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:42.519
I don't like the Zoom as much because, you know, it's so impersonal, but still like everyone else doing the Zooms as well.

00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:44.760
I really did enjoy teaching.

00:21:44.760 --> 00:21:49.159
That was the hard part to give up with um thinking about retirement.

00:21:49.060 --> 00:22:00.500
And why I guess I've gotten back in so heavy of doing these uh all of these different meetings and I am uh content communication spouse for our Oregon Master Beekeeper program.

00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:00.820
So

00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:12.240
that involves a lot with working with a program and doing all the tweaking and things like I would with my lectures to make sure this part of it works, to keep this part current, etc.

00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:13.440
Yeah.

00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:13.760
I

00:22:14.320 --> 00:22:20.160
You know, I've I won awards back in the days for teaching and advising.

00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:27.440
So that was always nice from big universities to win to you know garner those awards, but it's

00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:29.560
It was uh it was the students.

00:22:29.560 --> 00:22:39.560
The students always uh I mean, they're marvelous, where they're older people doing beekeeping, younger kids in four age, and of course those that age group were

00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:44.019
Education kind of gets in the way, those university students.

00:22:46.659 --> 00:22:47.299
Very good.

00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:52.980
So let's take this opportunity to take a quick break and we'll be right back after these words from our sponsors

00:22:55.560 --> 00:22:58.040
Beekeeping is demanding work.

00:22:58.040 --> 00:23:01.160
The last thing you need is equipment that can't keep up.

00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:07.880
That's why Premier Bee Products builds every frame and hive body in our South Dakota factories with one goal in mind.

00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:10.560
reliability when it matters most.

00:23:10.560 --> 00:23:20.720
From our beefy pura frames to our natural profila hive bodies with rough interiors, we design for long life in the field and in the colony.

00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:22.640
Because we believe that in beekeeping deep

00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:25.160
Details make all the difference.

00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:29.560
Premier Bee Products better for bees, better for beekeepers.

00:23:29.560 --> 00:23:32.280
Visit online at PremierBeeproducts.

00:23:32.280 --> 00:23:34.120
com or call us today.

00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:37.880
Use promo code PODCAST for 10% off your net.

00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:44.800
Online order.

00:23:44.800 --> 00:23:51.520
Beekeepers, if you're looking for a smarter way to support colony health, take a look at bee bites from strong microbials.

00:23:51.520 --> 00:23:52.480
Beebites are a new

00:23:53.160 --> 00:24:02.120
Protein patty made with spirulina, chlorella, and targeted probiotics, designed to support nutrition without creating new problems in the hive.

00:24:02.120 --> 00:24:07.640
With 15% protein, bee bites are unique because they do not attract small hive beetles.

00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:11.280
A big deal if you've ever battled infestations during feeding.

00:24:11.280 --> 00:24:20.480
Strong Microbials has been supporting beekeepers and farmers since 2012, developing high-quality commercial probiotics and nutritional supplements you can trust.

00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.880
Learn more about Bee Bites and their full line of bee nutrition.

00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:25.240
Nutrition at strongmicrobials.

00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.840
com.

00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:29.320
Welcome back everybody.

00:24:29.320 --> 00:24:34.760
Dewey, I was just listening to the your recent episode about Varroa and

00:24:35.140 --> 00:24:40.180
I recognize how you put everything into the big picture where you were talking about integrated pest management.

00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:44.340
And now that I hear about your background, I understand why you nailed that part.

00:24:44.340 --> 00:24:44.580
So

00:24:44.840 --> 00:24:46.760
so well and it was so well done.

00:24:46.760 --> 00:24:50.120
But you also are sharing this updated research.

00:24:50.120 --> 00:24:52.280
So even though you're not

00:24:52.620 --> 00:24:58.860
in the university, you're still learning as well as teaching, aren't you?

00:24:58.860 --> 00:25:00.220
Oh, absolutely, Becky.

00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:00.460
Yeah.

00:25:00.540 --> 00:25:02.540
And that's what a great thing would be keeping.

00:25:02.540 --> 00:25:03.660
It's uh it's uh

00:25:03.840 --> 00:25:08.080
You get one part of it down one year and then the next you work on another part.

00:25:08.080 --> 00:25:11.840
It's it's it grows with you and you grow with it.

00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:14.640
You're also doing work with the Honey Bee Health Coalition?

00:25:14.840 --> 00:25:24.200
For our listeners who may not know what the Honey bee Health Coalition is, first tell us what that organization is and then what you're doing to help with their work.

00:25:24.060 --> 00:25:24.940
Yeah, okay, sure.

00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:34.540
The Honey bee Health Coalition was established in the mid teens, I think two fourteen or two fifteen, two thousand fourteen, two thousand fifteen.

00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:42.860
And it brought together all of the aspects, someone to speak on behalf of all of the aspects of our beekeeping industry.

00:25:42.740 --> 00:25:52.420
So it included people that were in the pesticide realm, it included beekeepers, it included officers of organizations, the national organizations.

00:25:52.040 --> 00:25:56.200
For example, it included our consumers of our products.

00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:59.080
It included the governmental agencies.

00:25:59.080 --> 00:26:06.040
And the overriding concept and idea was that it would be a group that would look in terms of

00:26:06.760 --> 00:26:18.039
uh providing uh non-biased uh scientific based information for the industry at large, not just beekeepers, but

00:26:18.260 --> 00:26:25.700
Those that needed bees for pollination and you know all the way down to consumers that were consuming our beekeeping products

00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:32.300
It initially started with a uh a group of maybe twenty-five or so individuals.

00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:37.500
In addition to the national organizations of the regional organizations of

00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:45.900
Eastern Apriculture Society, AS, and WAS, Western Apriculture Society, were invited to uh to participate.

00:26:45.820 --> 00:26:54.300
after I had moved and been very active with EAS and had moved to Oregon, I also then became a very active in WAS.

00:26:54.300 --> 00:26:59.260
I'm so active to the point I arrived in two thousand and ten and then put on the

00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:01.279
WAS meeting that year.

00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:04.480
That's that's a little bit active.

00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.960
Uh so um

00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:18.140
Wait, did you take it over or did you It was struggling and uh the meeting we had in Salem, Oregon attracted a hundred and fifty six people and uh

00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:22.000
the biggest number they'd had prior to that time was uh under seventy five.

00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.560
So yeah, we kinda revived it.

00:27:24.560 --> 00:27:24.800

Varroa Management Guide Update with Dewey Caron (380)

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes