DARG

Devon Apicultural Research Group

New research updates

DARG recent research project: Controlling the Varroa mite by using the new Slim BeeGym. Evidenced base trial from May to September 2023.

Please click on the BeeGym link in the header above.

Devon Apicultural Research Group January ‘24

The Group is again seeking volunteers to take part in a scientific follow-up trial of the Bee Gym Slim product that we trialled and reported on last year: www.dargbees.org

Following our report, the developer has made some experimental modifications to the product to help honeybees manage and remove Varroa mites from their bodies more effectively.

Briefly: Volunteers will need to have hives with mesh floors and debris inspection boards underneath.

One half of the Brood box will be using the original product and the other the modified version. The results should tell us whether the modifications are improvements or not.

The volunteers will need to visit the hives every seven to ten days for a twelve week period between May and August to photograph and then clean the boards.

They will have to count the number of mites on each side and submit a report and photo of the board for an external verifier to review.

They will be supplied free with the original and modified Bee Gym product and instructions on how and where to place it in the hive.

They will send the photographs weekly by e-mail to be counted and checked into the trial data and the results will be statistically analysed to see whether there is an effect and how marked it is.

Volunteers do not have to be members of DARG or live in Devon to take part.

 

Please e-mail dchannon@proton.me to volunteer or for further details of the trial and its protocol.

To read the original trial, visit www.dargbees.org