Another Day, Another Dollar

Another day, another dollar, as the saying goes – whether those dollars are coming or going remains to be seen.

The volatility of this industry is mind-boggling. Excusing the topic of honey sales, it is the perilous mortality of our very livestock that is staggering.

Last year’s winter experience, my first, had me lulled. Strong double brood box hives, not a mite to be seen… my vision buzzing with roses and silver linings. What an absolute flip finding myself at this point in 2025, top forensic investigator as the dead outs pile up.

Life is fleeting in the hive. Individually, there’s a million ways to die, natural or novel, death stalks every web and raindrop. Collectively, there’s a surefire killer of millions. Varroa Destructor.

My mind wanders to a point in time when the bug bit. Y2K. Remember that? When the rest of the country fretted about their computers and microwaves, beekeepers were staring down the barrel of an industry killer.

Anyone want a job? Mentally preparing myself before taking on a big stack of lids set for the scraping.

Me, I was on the cusp of high school. Probably trying to be home as little as possible. MTV had more entertainment value than MAF, but even through clouds of Impulse spray, the fear of the mite was permeable.

Tension gave way to action. My siblings and I were recruited into the production line of formic acid bags, the only allowable treatment, recommended by the governing body of the day. Folded wads of newspaper were stuffed into large zip lock bags, then 250ml of a formic solution was added, the formula being a dilute of 65% formic, and mixed 3 parts concentrate to 1 part water (with acid carefully introduced to water). Most of the air was excluded, before being sealed and stored in the freezer.

Formic acid is heavier than air and disperses down through the hive, so for application, two windows were cut at both ends of the pouch (1cm x 24cm) and placed on the top bars with slits orientated facing down towards the bees and at a right angle to the frames. After 10 days a middle window was then opened in the pouch and left for another week before removal. With weaker hives the application was reversed with one window in the middle initially, then a side opening after 10 days.

Practically, this control worked a treat. Mites were piled up on the baseboard before we even knew we had a problem. Formic acid acts as an all-round cleanser for the hive and, as pointed out at a beekeeping conference, benefits any number of species. In fact, certain birds will disturb ants nests and endure crawling masses, instigating fumigation of parasites in their feathers.

The downside of this initial treatment was a lot of lids rusting from the corrosiveness of the acid, and everybody losing their fingerprints – also due to the corrosiveness of the acid. So, as with any chemical, remember, chemicals are pervasive, and use your protective gear.

In this day and age mite control has a variety of options, but, as I have stated before, timing is everything. The casualties this year tell a tale of an under-staffed summer, a few weeks here-or-there did make a difference alright, and some sites paid the price.

This year’s tactic – starve the mites.

Baseboards speak the truth, with mounds of the red devils revealing the effectiveness of Apistan strips inserted after honey harvest. Still, some hives failed due to sheer inundation of mites under cappings, mortally weakened and at the mercy of wasps and robbers.

Parasitic, predatory varroa also leaves hives susceptible to viruses and bacteria. A stressed host is a welcome host, so we are resuming our winter regime of feeding apple cider vinegar in the sugar and spraying frames with Micro-Med probiotic, to increase beneficial enzymes and enhance immunity. Culling old frames is a top priority.

As for controlling the little blighters, we have purchased an oxalic acid vaporizer, ideal to use in a restricted or broodless period. Stay tuned as I cut my teeth…

For now the rain has slowed us up a little. Aside from getting the truck stuck in the mud (hey, I wouldn’t be the first!) things are almost boring. Shed work calls, and with that mention of short staff, I’ve found a task I like less than most – scraping lids. Does anyone want a job?

Sorry to echo the cry of the industry, and there are definitely harder jobs than cleaning lids, like having Easter week off with my four kids for example. After ten years of being a stay-at-home mum, work is now my retreat. Give me the lids.

Work is work, and I’m proud to be a contributor to NZ apiculture. One more beekeeper in the ranks. As far as jobs go, it’s a very fulfilling and mind-expanding occupation where you get to appreciate the wilderness. We get easy days, and we have rough ones, but every day above ground is a good one. Not just another day, another dollar, but the greatest gift of all. The present. Make it count.

Aimz.

Aimz is a second-generation commercial beekeeper in the Bay of Plenty who took up the hive tool full time at the end of the 2024 honey season. Formerly a stay-at-home mum to four kids, she has now found her footing in the family business.