Varroa

Varroa is a reportable pest. It is extremely prevalent, so when you register on BeeBase, by default the box asking if varroa is present in your hives is pre-ticked. If you live in an area where you know there is no varroa and recent monitoring shows you have no evidence of this pest, you can untick this box.

These records are used to produce the varroa map. You can find a copy of the most recent varroa map in Scotland on our Education page.

This is to raise awareness that there are places in Scotland that are varroa free. You should not take bees from varroa areas to any areas that are reported varroa free. Colonsay and Oronsay for example are black bee reserves, which are varroa free and you cannot take bees there.

It is important to monitor the levels of varroa in your hives by doing a varroa count. See the Scottish Varroa Learning package on how to carry this out from our Education page.

Keeping the varroa mite levels below 1,000 is essential to avoid Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS). PMS occurs when the bees can no longer cope with the level of varroa infestation and begin to show physical signs such as:

• deformed wings.
• pierced or uncapped cells.
• a pepper pot brood pattern.
• smaller bees.
• visible mites.
• a general dwindling of the population of the hive.

It is at these high levels that the hive will be in danger of collapse.

For more information regarding signs of varroa damage, See the Scottish Varroa Learning package in our Education page.

When bees have varroa, you must take action. Biotechnical control methods such as drone brood removal, queen trapping and using open mesh floors can be used in conjunction with medicine treatments. Medicines that treat varroa (varroacides) such as amitraz, oxalic and formic acid are effective when used correctly. Medicines must be Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) approved, and it is a legal requirement to keep your medicine records for 5 years. There is no official form for recording medicine records, but you can download an example Veterinary Medicine Administration Record form from our Education page.

Learning about the varroa mite and its life cycle will help you understand how different treatments work and when to use them.

It is considered best practice to use a mix of methods and having an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan.

You can find more detail in the Varroa Education Module or the Scottish Varroa Learning Package in our education page.