One way to combat varroa mites is to heat the bees in a thermal chamber. Beekeepers have found that this treatment completely destroys pests, and believe that this is almost the only way to maintain insect health without the use of chemicals. Let's look at the structure and operating principle of thermal chambers and how to make the device yourself. What do experienced beekeepers advise regarding the use of thermal cameras in the apiary?
What is it and what is it for?
Thermal chambers were invented to rid bees of mites and other parasites. This is a special device that resembles a box, which contains a heating device, a fan and thermal insulation, and there are windows in the walls to monitor the condition of the bees. The thermal chamber runs on electricity.
Insects are placed in it and kept at elevated temperatures for 15-17 minutes. There is enough time for the mites to die and fall off the surface of the bees. The temperature of 47-48 degrees, which is used during processing, does not harm the insects themselves.
Principle of operation
Bee treatment is based on the difference in temperature tolerance between insects and mites. Pests are much smaller in size, respiration occurs through the entire surface of the body, when heated, they lose moisture, their temperature increases to critical, and they die.
Frames with working individuals are placed in a heat chamber; the queen is not treated, since there are almost no mites on it. Close the chamber and warm it up to 48 ˚C for 15 minutes. Fans are turned on to distribute hot air evenly.
At elevated temperatures, the distance between the abdominal rings of bees, where mites live, increases. The pests cannot be contained and fall off.
Types of thermal chambers for bees
Several types of devices have already been invented; the first thermal chambers were the simplest, but over time their design improved and became more complex. At the same time, they became the most effective.
1st generation
1st generation devices consist of a body in which there are built-in windows, hatches for the beekeeper’s hands, a mesh where mites fall, a thermometer and a heater. The cassette in such devices is designed for 1.5 kg of bees. The main disadvantage of the 1st generation thermal chambers is that warming up takes not 15, but 20-25 minutes, which leads to weakening of insects and even death.
2nd generation
In this type of device, the cassettes are made to rotate, so there is no need to manually shake the chamber to mix the bees. But the processing time remained almost unchanged; the problem remained in the temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the chamber, the center and the corners. In general, the efficiency of 2nd generation devices has increased slightly.
3rd generation
These are thermal chambers that use a flow of heated air. As a result, two goals were achieved: the required temperature is maintained in the cassette, and there is no risk of the bees steaming.
The devices are not free from disadvantages: insects can accumulate at the bottom of the cassette, where they are not completely eliminated from mites. Pests can re-attach to bees when they fall off those on top.
Making a thermal chamber with your own hands
You can buy the device, but you can also make it yourself. Making a simple thermal chamber is no more difficult than making a beehive; the time and money spent will pay off due to increased productivity of bees and the quality of the product produced.
Blueprints
The dimensions of the thermal chamber are approximately 30 by 30 cm. When creating the device, you need to focus on the dimensions of the hive frames.
Tools and materials
You will need a hacksaw and a screwdriver. Materials for production:
- wooden blocks 3 cm thick;
- plywood 6 and 10 mm thick;
- self-tapping screws;
- 60 W light bulbs;
- power unit;
- Voltage regulator;
- thermometer;
- cooler;
- thermostat;
- cable.
All this can be purchased or found on your own farm.
Creating a camera
Manufacturing sequence:
- To make the frame, you need to cut the bars to the required size.
- Connect and cover them with thin plywood and make a bottom out of thick plywood.
- Make windows at the top and bottom to observe the behavior of bees.
- Install lamps that will work as a heating element in the upper corners of the device.
- Attach the cooler below.
- Install the thermostat and sensor in the middle of the wall.
Set the temperature on the regulator to 46.5-47 °C.
Useful tips from experienced beekeepers
The treatment must be carried out without the queen; if it is present, the insects will gather around it in a tight ball, which will reduce the efficiency of heating. Bees can become infected with mites a second time.
It is imperative to observe the warm-up time; if it is increased by just a few minutes, not only pests, but also bees may die. If the air temperature outside is below 11 degrees, ticks become inactive and less vulnerable to heat treatment. Therefore, before heating in the device, the cassette must be warmed up for 15 minutes at a temperature of at least 18-25 degrees.
If the treatment is carried out in the spring, after wintering, or after prolonged cold spells, before loading into the thermal chamber, the bees must fly around to empty the intestines.
During heat treatment, there should be no residues of plant and chemical acaricides in the device, which can cause overexcitation and steaming of the bees. There should not be any foreign objects near which insects accumulate, where they warm up worse.
Purchasing or making a heat chamber for bees will solve the problem with mites without the use of acaricides, which are not always safe for the insects themselves. Using a simple and effective device will help the beekeeper keep bees healthy and get more honey from them.
