Close up image of a Varroa mite

Varroa mite

How do I manage Varroa?

Have you got Varroa mites in your colonies? Are you struggling to manage the problem? Are you looking for tips and information to help you keep Varroa levels under control? Some areas of BeeBase that you may find helpful include:

  • Varroa
    A summary of the present status, life cycle and biology of Varroa.
  • Varroa calculator
    Enter details about your own time and method of varroa mite monitoring, your drone rearing season and drone brood level, into the calculator, to work out your total mite population, and when you may need to treat your Varroa infested colonies.
  • Advisory leaflets and training manuals
    Including publications on 'Managing Varroa'. You will also find four Fact Sheets: 'Estimating Varroa Populations', 'Varroa Control Using Organic Acids', 'Integrated Pest Management for Varroa Control', and 'Simple Integrated Pest Management for Varroa', all of which you can download free of charge.
  • Image Gallery
    You can find useful pictures of the symptoms of Varroa damage here.
  • Contact your local bee inspector
    General contact details for the NBU and local bee inspectors (England, Scotland and Wales); a further source of free, expert advice, can be found here.

Register as a new beekeeper

As a beekeeper in England, Scotland or Wales, if you register on BeeBase you can:

  • Request a free apiary visit from your local bee inspector;
  • Be alerted to pest and disease problems in your area;
  • Have secure access to your own (and only your own) inspection history and apiary information, via the web;
  • Find out about beekeeping training events near you;
  • All these services are free of charge.

BeeBase - an information resource for beekeepers and the beekeeping industry

BeeBase is a sophisticated IT system that supports the bee health programmes of England, Scotland and Wales. It is important to be able to visit every apiary within an area of confirmed disease, so it is vital to have beekeepers' apiaries logged onto BeeBase, to make sure that no potentially infected and/or at risk colonies are being missed. BeeBase provides information on the activities of the NBU, legislation, honey bee pest and disease recognition and control, interactive maps, current research areas, and lots of helpful contacts. Many beekeepers find this an extremely useful resource.