Drone brood removal

Removing drone brood is a suitable measure for varroa mite control. Because of their size, the drone brood cells are very attractive for the mites. Removing drone brood will end up removing varroa mites without affecting the colony growth. The formation of drone brood is also an indicator of swarming tendency.

• Place the drone rearing frames next to the brood area.
• Remove the capped drone brood cells. After 3 weeks, remove the rebuilt drone brood cells again. Alternatively, you can remove part of the drone brood cells every 9 days.

In any case, remember that it is essential to have a sufficient amount of drones in mating areas. You should also consider using other varroa control methods like oxalic acid trickling and formic acid treatment in drone producing bee colonies in mating areas.