Procedure for Varroa mite on adult bees testing using the powder sugar method.
1. The first step is to make a container with a cover made of 8x8 hardware cloth. An easy method is to use a wide mouth canning jar. Use a ring type cover. Cut a circle of 8x8 hardware cloth the size of the cover that fits in the ring and use it instead of the cover.
2. You will also need something white to shake the powdered sugar containing the mites into. You can just shake onto a piece of paper if it is not windy. A white container works best but any light color (yellow) would be ok.
3. Shake about 200-400 bees into the container. You can see we shake the bees from a frame into a bent piece of sheet metal (flashing) then pour them into the container.
4. 1 fluid oz. = approximately 100 bees. 1/4 cup = approximately 200 bees. You will have to shake the bees in then tap the bottom of the container to get all the bees on the bottom to measure.
5. With the bees in the container place the 8x8 screen on top and secure. Put about 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar into container.
6. Shake the bees with the powdered sugar until they are well coated. Let the container set for about 1-2 minutes.
7. Tip the container upside down over the white container and shake the powdered sugar and mites out through the screen
8. Continue to shake for at least one minute to be sure you have all of the mites.
9. Count the number of mites in the powdered sugar. If you have trouble seeing them you can add a small amount of water to disolve the sugar making the mites easier to see.
10. This is what the mites look like that you are trying to see.
11. Return the bees to their colony.
12. The bees will survive. Once they are cleaned up they can go back to work.
For a description of what to do with this information see;