Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad

Author:Ross Conrad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Published: 2013-03-08T05:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 5-10. The sticky paper trap allows you to monitor the mite load while at the same time reducing mite populations within your hives. Be sure to fold up the ends if you plan on using methyl palmitate as bait.

FIGURE 5-11. This trap is easy to make with basic carpentry tools and skills.

Another drawback of this trap design that I have not had time to improve upon is the use of Masonite board in constructing the sides of the trap. The small particles that make up the Masonite become exposed upon cutting the slots, and, as a result, the small pieces that are exposed along the ragged edges of the slits are chewed off by the bees and end up stuck to the paper in the bottom of the trap. Although initially this reduces the effectiveness of the trap, I have found that the accumulation of debris lessens dramatically after the first season, to the point where it eventually ceases to be an issue. Sanding these areas down after they have been cut may help reduce this tendency, but I have not tried it.

In 1999 I had the idea of applying for a patent for this mite trap and starting a business manufacturing and distributing it. However, after noticing how much more effective the trap was in catching Varroa destructor when methyl palmitate was used as bait, I sought a licensing agreement to market the trap, with the pheromone lure as an integral part of the trapping device. Shortly after starting the process to get methyl palmitate approved by the FDA for use as a honey bee miticide, I sent a letter to the French institute where the researchers had discovered methyl palmitate's properties and requested permission to use their intellectual property, for a fee of course. A couple months passed, and after not hearing back from them I wrote again, this time in English. Again I received no reply. Since the effectiveness of the trap is increased dramatically with the use of the pheromone, it did not seem wise to try to build a business promoting a trapping device without it, so I dropped the patenting and marketing idea and instead am satisfying myself with the opportunity to pass along the design of this device so that do-it-yourselfers have the chance to make use of it. Methyl palmi-tate may be used as bait within such a trap without infringing upon intellectual property rights, or the FDA's pesticide regulations, as long as the honey harvested is not sold but kept for personal use and you are not selling the pheromone to others as a mite control agent.

Obtaining methyl palmitate can be difficult, because it is not approved for use as a varroa mite attractant by the EPA, and because most chemical supply companies that sell it make it available in 55-gallon drums rather than selling a pound of the material here and there. I was able to obtain a 1-pound sample of methyl palmitate (enough to last many years) during the time I was pursuing the idea of starting a business manufacturing and selling the traps.

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