Monitoring Tools Treatment Chemicals
4 treatment chemicals from Monitoring Tools.
Alcohol Wash Kit
Monitoring Tool
The alcohol wash is the gold standard for varroa monitoring. Scoop about 300 bees (half cup) into a jar with alcohol, shake for 60 seconds, and strain to count mites. It kills the sample bees but gives the most accurate mite count. If you are serious about IPM, you do alcohol washes monthly during the season.
$5-$15 per kit
Sugar Roll Kit
Monitoring Tool
The sugar roll is a non-lethal alternative to the alcohol wash. Scoop 300 bees into a jar, add powdered sugar, roll for 2 minutes, and shake the sugar (with dislodged mites) through a mesh lid onto a white surface. Slightly less accurate than alcohol wash but does not kill the bees. Good enough for most hobbyist monitoring.
$5-$10 per kit
Sticky Boards
Monitoring Tool
Sticky boards (also called mite boards or IPM boards) slide into the bottom board slot to catch mites that fall naturally. Count mites over 24-72 hours and calculate daily mite drop. Less accurate than alcohol wash because natural drop does not correlate perfectly with total mite load, but it is completely non-invasive.
$3-$8 per board
Drone Comb Foundation
Monitoring Tool
Green drone-sized foundation placed in a frame to attract the queen to lay drone brood, which varroa mites prefer 8-10x over worker brood. After cells are capped, pull the frame, freeze it to kill mites and drones, then return it. A mechanical control method that physically removes mites from the colony. Labor-intensive but chemical-free.
$3-$5 per frame