Drone Brood for controlling Varroa

[Stickyfingers]

Any one using using this as part of their integrated pest management.

What is the consensus, dedicated foundation or medium frame and let them draw underneath it. How long are people leaving the frames in. Info on the web is indicating longer than the 9 days cap?

 

[Finman]

.
Consensus is very bad habit to do anything.

However, first thing is to notice that a whole frame is too much to catch mites.
One frame out of 8 is about 15%. it works only a short time= just when brood is capped.

Drone cycle is 3,5 weeks. Hive should have all the time drone brood that it works.

For example I use langstroth frame where I put medium foundation. So 1/3 out of frame is empty gap and bees love to do drone combs here. This kind of frame feels good when such frames are 2. ThenI cut away the slice and bees make new. Proportion of drone brood is quite big because during normal cycle bees feed 2 larva generation.
I think that this is maximum amount to keep drones.

To put only shallow frame into the hive works too, but it is not so handy as normal frame with narrow gap.

You may cut a slice away from what ever frame.

I keep the frame in 1:2 position in the box. Not sidemost.

.
.

 

[MJBee]

I monitor mite drop every 3 weeks and any colonies that show above average drop get a drawn super frame in the brood box.
At this time in the season the bees draw drone comb in the space below the frame and this is cut off and checked 1 week after sealing. The super frame is placed in a super above the QX until the worker brood has emerged.
This process is repeated if drops require it until the point in the season when the bees decide they do not want any more drones and make worker comb. As soon as I see worker comb being built I remove the frame before HM lays it up.

FWIW these new MAQS thingys although expensive may well be the answer to Spring/Summer varroa treatment with supers on. I will certainly give them a try but they are not available in France (yet) and Th**nes will not/are not allowed to send them by mail order.

 

[Tim1606]

Everyone of our colonies has a shallow super frame placed in the brood box and is regularly cut out when capped drone brood is on the bottom of the frame. Doesn't seem to upset the colonies and varroa count is low at the moment.

 

[Luminos]

When changing format from standard to 14 x 12, I've left a standard frame in each 14 x 12 brood box, under which they usually build drone comb.

The fun starts when the frame is lifted out and the drone comb drops off down into the hive

 

[drstitson]

"The fun starts when the frame is lifted out and the drone comb drops off down into the hive "

hence why Finman's suggestion of using a full frame but with incomplete foundation.

 

[blackcavebees]

Not sure, but I think it was Keith Pierce (the one who takes the great photos on the forum) who showed a pic of a brood frame adapted with extra bar so as to take shallow foundation in top part of brood frame and left area for bees to draw drone comb below that was framed but could be cut out easily without damage to brood on rest of frame