Varroa Check Before Buying an Established Apiary: Buyer Due Diligence

Buyers who accept colonies without mite count documentation inherit an average 2.1% infestation rate versus 0.8% for checked purchases. That difference means a new purchase without documentation has nearly three times the baseline mite load of a purchase with verified counts. You're starting from behind before you've done anything wrong.

Purchasing established colonies without a mite check is one of the most common ways beekeepers import a varroa problem into a previously clean apiary. This guide covers everything to ask for and verify before money changes hands.

TL;DR

• This guide covers key aspects of varroa check before buying an established apiary: buyer due
• Mite monitoring should happen at minimum every 3-4 weeks during active season
• The 2% threshold in spring/summer and 1% in fall are standard action points based on HBHC guidelines
• Always run a pre-treatment and post-treatment mite count to calculate efficacy
• Treatment records including product name, EPA number, dates, and counts are required for state inspection compliance
• VarroaVault stores all monitoring and treatment data with automatic threshold comparison and state export formatting

---

What Documentation to Request From the Seller

A responsible seller should be able to provide:

Mite counts from the past 60 days. Anything older is essentially meaningless for current infestation level. Colonies can go from 1% to 4% in 6-8 weeks during peak season. Ask for the date of the count, the method used (alcohol wash is the only acceptable baseline for a purchase decision; decline counts done only with sticky boards or sugar roll), and the result.

Treatment history for the past 12 months. What was applied, when, at what dose, and what the post-treatment efficacy count showed. A seller who can provide this has a documentation practice worth trusting. A seller who can't tell you when they last treated is a red flag.

Any treatment failures or resistance concerns. Has the seller had hives that didn't respond well to a particular product? This is important for your rotation planning.

Queen status and age. When was the queen last seen? Is she marked? Is there a record of when she was introduced or raised?

If the seller can't provide any of this, you can either perform a mite count yourself before completing the purchase or factor the unknown mite status into your price negotiation and plan to count immediately after transfer.

Performing a Pre-Purchase Mite Count

If you're going to count before buying, the process is straightforward:

1. Bring your alcohol wash kit (jar, mesh cap, 70% isopropyl alcohol).
2. Collect a 300-bee sample from the brood area of each colony you're evaluating. Scoop from an interior brood frame, not the outside edges where mite-carrying nurse bees are less concentrated.
3. Add alcohol, shake for 60 seconds, drain through mesh, count mites.
4. Calculate: mite count divided by 300, multiplied by 100 = infestation percentage.

Do this for every colony you're considering, not just a representative sample. Mite loads vary dramatically between adjacent hives (see: mite-bomb dynamics), and buying an apiary based on a sample can leave you with untested problem colonies.

How to Interpret Pre-Purchase Results

Below 1%: Good baseline. Standard monitoring schedule is appropriate. No immediate treatment needed unless you're heading into a high-risk season.

1-2%: Acceptable but warrant close monitoring. Schedule a count 3 weeks after purchase. Treat if counts are rising or if you're approaching fall.

2-3%: At or near the treatment threshold depending on season. Plan for immediate treatment after purchase. Factor the treatment cost into your price negotiation.

Above 3%: Serious infestation. Either negotiate a significant price reduction to cover treatment costs and colony recovery, or walk away. At 3%+, you're buying a colony that is actively in decline and that will export mites to any other colonies in your apiary within weeks.

Any colony showing DWV symptoms (deformed wings, small bees): Count regardless of the seller's records. A colony with visible DWV has a mite load high enough to be causing significant viral transmission. This colony needs treatment within days, not weeks.

Setting Up a Purchased Colony in VarroaVault

After the purchase:

1. Create a new hive profile in VarroaVault with the hive ID, purchase date, and any seller-provided information.
2. Log the pre-purchase mite count (or your own count) as the baseline entry.
3. Enter any seller-provided treatment history for the hive.
4. Set the monitoring schedule for a new acquisition: count at 3 weeks, then monthly.

VarroaVault's pre-purchase due diligence form can be completed in the field using a shared access link, allowing you to log counts and notes directly at the seller's apiary before you commit to the purchase.

If the seller is also a VarroaVault user, they can share the hive's complete count and treatment history directly through the app, giving you instant access to their records.

Red Flags in a Purchase Negotiation

Watch for these signals that the seller hasn't been managing mites adequately:

• Reluctance to allow a pre-purchase count ("the bees are defensive today" or "I just treated")
• Inability to name the last treatment product or date
• Colonies that look strong by population but have large numbers of bees with deformed wings
• Claims that their bees "don't have mites" because they use "natural" methods without data to support it
• Consistent claims of treatment without any records showing post-treatment counts

The bee industry has a significant problem with sellers who underreport mite loads, either out of ignorance or to avoid depressing the sale price. A buyer who can't verify count history is taking a risk that the historical data (if any exists) reflects reality.

See also: Varroa mite check after purchase and Mite count tracking app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What varroa records should a seller provide when selling colonies?

A seller should provide mite counts from the past 60 days (done by alcohol wash, not sticky board), 12 months of treatment history including products used, dates, doses, and post-treatment counts, any history of treatment failures or resistance concerns, and queen status including age and last-seen date. Sellers who can't provide this documentation present an unknown varroa risk. Factor this uncertainty into your purchase decision and price.

How do I do a mite count before buying a hive?

Bring an alcohol wash kit to the seller's apiary. Collect a 300-bee sample from an interior brood frame of each colony you're evaluating, scoop from near the brood where nurse bees concentrate. Add isopropyl alcohol, shake for 60 seconds, drain through mesh, count the mites. Divide mite count by 300 and multiply by 100 to get infestation percentage. Do this for every colony you're considering, not a sample.

Can I set up a new hive in VarroaVault immediately after purchase?

Yes. Create a new hive profile with the purchase date, log your pre-purchase or immediate post-purchase mite count as the baseline entry, and enter any seller-provided treatment history. VarroaVault's pre-purchase due diligence form can be filled out in the field using a shared access link, so you can log information at the seller's location before completing the purchase.

How do I know if my varroa treatment is working?

Run a mite count 2-4 weeks after the treatment ends and compare it to your pre-treatment count. The efficacy formula is: ((pre-count - post-count) / pre-count) x 100. A result above 90% indicates effective treatment. Results below 80% should trigger investigation for possible resistance, application error, or reinfestation. Log both counts in VarroaVault to track efficacy trends across treatment cycles.

How often should I check mite levels in my hives?

At minimum, once per month (every 3-4 weeks) during the active season. Increase to every 2 weeks when counts are near threshold or after a treatment to verify it worked. In fall, monitoring frequency matters most because the window to treat before winter bees are raised is narrow. VarroaVault's monitoring reminders can be set to your preferred interval for each apiary.

What records should I keep for varroa management?

Each record should include: date of count or treatment, hive identifier, monitoring method used, number of bees sampled, mites counted, infestation percentage, treatment product name and EPA registration number, dose applied, treatment start and end dates, and PHI end date. State apiarists typically expect this level of detail during inspections. VarroaVault captures all of these fields in a single log entry.

Sources

• American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
• USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory
• Honey Bee Health Coalition
• Penn State Extension Apiculture Program
• Project Apis m.

Get Started with VarroaVault

The information in this guide is most useful when you have your own mite count data to apply it to. VarroaVault stores every count, flags threshold crossings automatically, and builds the treatment history you need for state inspections and effective management decisions. Start your free trial at varroavault.com.