First of all, the cat cost me 150 dollars this afternoon. She is a little sick and wormy from being on her own, but she should be ok. It looks like she got beat up by another cat, and she has two big teeth marks on her soulder. She will be just fine as long as she does not become dinner for one of our dogs.
I pulled out the drawers in the bottom boards to check for mites, and hoo-boy I have some mites up in there.
The drawers, when I pulled them out after a day, were covered in bee garbage, wax, pollen, and bee parts. It is amazing how much crud falls down from the hive during just one day. Here is an overall pic of one of the boards:
The dark mass in the bottom center is wax cappings from cells.
This next shot is a close up of a bee leg.
This next shot contains the dreaded varroa mite. It is the black speck in the center:
There are not enough mites in either hive to cause alarm, but I will be treating for the mites very soon.
What will the mites do if they infest your hive?
Posted by: blackvelvetjesus at August 10, 2005 10:36 PM