Mite-A-Thon is Coming!

PAm is proud to be a part of Pollinator Partnership’s Mite-A-Thon.  This event is a national effort to collect mite infestation data and to visualize varroa infestations in honey bee colonies across North America within a one-week window.  All beekeepers in Canada, United States and Mexico are encouraged to participate.  The Mite-A-Thon is happening during the week of September 9th and is free to participate.  Participants will monitor the level of mites (number of mites per 100 bees) using a standardized protocol utilizing two common methods of assessment (powdered sugar roll or alcohol wash) and then enter data, including location, total number of hives, number of hives tested, local habitat, and the number of varroa mites counted from each hive.  The published information will not identify individual participants.

Varroa, and the viruses it vectors, is a significant driver of honey bee colony mortality. Yet, indicators suggest that some beekeepers are not correctly monitoring varroa infestations and therefore are not able to connect infestation to colony loss.  Please join Project Apis m. and Pollinator Partnership in helping spread the world about proper varroa management by participating in the Mite-a-Thon.  The varroa monitoring data will be anonymously uploaded to www.mitecheck.com.  For the first time ever there will be publicly available data about varroa mite levels of colonies at the same time of year throughout three major countries.  I look forward to analyzing the varroa infestation map.  Will your hives be represented on it?      

Billy Synk, 
Director of Pollination Programs
Project Apis m
 
Reach Billy Synk at Billy@ProjectApism.org or 916-287-3035