As beekeepers know, treating hives for varroa in the fall is crucial for ensuring colonies are strong going into winter. With varroa mites posing an ever-present threat, precise and timely interventions can significantly improve survival rates. 

In this post, we’ll explore a few ways that commercial beekeepers are using Nectar’s technology to enhance their varroa mite management strategies—from real-time monitoring in the mobile app to acting on insights using data from our web-based platform.

Using Nectar’s Tools to Make Decisions and Stay Ahead 

When workers enter the hive actions they’ve taken into Nectar’s mobile app, that data is permanently saved and can be viewed and acted upon by others in the operation. That’s true of queen’s installed in a hive, and it’s true of varroa sampling and treatment histories. 

Using Nectar, all workers have access to that specific hive’s varroa sample value, and in the managers portal, managers and supervisors can see average varroa levels by yard, operation, or group. You can also see how these different varroa levels have fluctuated over time. These features enable a complete overview of the varroa status in one's operation. 

The same is true for treatments. All reported treatments are displayed in both the app and the Manager’s Portal. Using Nectar’s custom whiteboard, beekeepers add their treatments as a column, and set the data to be displayed as ‘days since last occurrence.’ This ensures managers have visibility on how long the interval has been in between treatments. 

Alternatively, beekeepers can utilize the Last Visit filter in the Manager’s Portal Map to get a visualization of which yards need to be treated. Using the custom date intervals, beekeepers can use the filter to ensure their desired yard treatment pace is met. 

Beekeepers are using these tools in a number of ways, from simple to more complex. Here are two specific examples.

Consistent Treatment Cycles with Real-Time Data 

Can-Am Apiaries is a commercial beekeeping operation near Orland, California, owned by Brad Pankratz who relies on Nectar to stay ahead of varroa mite infestations during the fall. Brad and his team use the Nectar mobile app to monitor which of their yards need immediate attention, allowing them to keep their varroa treatment intervals consistent across the operation.

They do so by viewing the timestamped history of each beekeeping practice that's been applied in the mobile app. Nectar’s mobile app shows Can-Am’s teams precisely which yards are due for treatment directly from their phones. This is especially crucial given the specific number of days required between treatments, and the increased amount of robbing in California this year. “That’s why it’s vital to our operation to follow our treatment plan closely, and Nectar helps us achieve that,” Brad explains.

Sampling Hive-level Data in the Short and Long Term

On the other side of the country, Champlain Valley Apiaries is using Nectar to digitize their historical varroa records. Champlain Valley Apiaries is a fourth generation, family-owned, Vermont beekeeping and honey business, owned and operated by Curtis Mraz. Digital records help Champlain maintain instant visibility into the operation’s current varroa levels, and apply their past years data to learn what’s worked over time. Nectar helps Champlain stick to their rigid varroa management plan that requires sampling a specific number of hives for their varroa levels and treating them when certain threshold levels are met. 

“We try to get varroa samples from as many of our hives as we can, and we enter those values into Nectar. After we review those sample values, we ensure that any hives or yards with more than 9 mites per 300 bees gets treated. If there are samples coming in way over the threshold, we may treat the entire yard to help prevent the spread from that hive”, says Curtis. “Because of Nectar’s digital records, we are able to look back at yards and hives and see how they have responded to our treatments.”

In the coming years, Curtis is hoping to push his varroa management practices further. “Having instant, live access to our data records in an organized format is what we are most excited about with Nectar. Having multiple seasons worth of varroa and treatment data to verify what did or didn't work will help us manage our bees in the future.” 

Whats Next

Nectar’s newest feature, Insights Builder, provides an even deeper look into an operation’s varroa levels. Varroa samples, treatments, and more can be visualized in your dashboard and viewed over any timeframe. This helps beekeepers make informed in-season decisions about treatment and sampling, and makes it easy to analyze data from previous seasons. Below are two examples of insights related to varroa—which can be used to make key operational decisions.

Wrapping Up

During fall, the threat of varroa mites becomes a priority for every beekeeper. By leveraging Nectar, commercial beekeepers can not only protect their hives more effectively but also increase their return on investment through real-time monitoring, analysis of varroa practices, and simplified record-keeping. Nectar gives you the tools you need to stay ahead of the challenges and ensure the health of your colonies.

Ready to optimize your varroa mite management this fall? Let Nectar help protect your bees and your bottom line.