Varroa mite tracking software

Why varroa needs a number, not an impression

Varroa destructor is the single biggest cause of colony loss in managed European honey bee colonies, mostly through the viruses it spreads rather than the mites themselves. The damage builds quietly: a colony that looks strong in July can collapse in October because the winter bees were raised while mite levels were high.

The only reliable way to manage that risk is to measure it. Counting mites on a sample of bees gives you an infestation rate you can compare between colonies, between apiaries and between years. Guessing from the number of mites you happen to see on the landing board does not.

Recording counts that mean something

ApiaryPilot supports the monitoring methods beekeepers actually use, and stores what each result was based on so a count in April is comparable with a count in August.

• Alcohol wash or soapy water wash — most accurate, typically a 300-bee sample
• Sugar roll — non-lethal, same 300-bee sample, slightly lower recovery
• Sticky board / natural mite drop — recorded as mites per day over the number of days the board was in
• Drone brood uncapping — useful as an early-season indicator

Thresholds and the season trend

Each count is converted to mites per 100 bees so you can act on a consistent figure. ApiaryPilot flags colonies that cross a 3% infestation rate, a commonly used action threshold in late summer, and highlights any colony whose rate is climbing quickly even while it is still below the line.

The colony health chart puts counts, treatments and colony strength on the same timeline. That makes the important question easy to answer: did the treatment actually bring the mite level down, or did it bounce back within weeks?

Treatment records include the product, the dose, the dates in and out, and the temperature conditions — the details that determine whether a treatment worked and the details an inspector may ask about.

Integrated pest management, documented

Good varroa control mixes monitoring, biotechnical methods such as drone brood removal or a brood break, and correctly timed treatments. That approach only works if you can see what you did last time, because every intervention has a best window and a maximum frequency.

ApiaryPilot keeps the whole programme in one place: monitoring dates, biotechnical actions, treatments, and the counts that followed them. Repeating the same product year after year becomes visible instead of accidental.

At the end of the season you can export a treatment and monitoring history per colony or per apiary — useful for your own review, for veterinary or regulatory records where they apply, and for honey buyers who ask about residues.