Sticky plates act as a physical data capture mechanism positioned on the bottom board of a beehive. Their primary function is to trap Varroa mites that fall naturally or die during medicinal treatments, using an adhesive coating to immobilize the parasites so they cannot crawl back onto the frames or be swept away by house-cleaning bees.
Core Takeaway By preventing the loss or re-attachment of fallen mites, sticky plates transform random drop patterns into quantifiable, physical evidence. This allows beekeepers to accurately calculate treatment kill rates and monitor natural mortality trends without invasive colony disturbance.
The Mechanics of Capture
Preventing Re-infestation
Mites that fall from bees or brood cells are not always dead. The adhesive coating serves as a trap to immobilize live mites immediately upon contact.
Without this sticky layer, fallen mites often retain the ability to crawl back up the frames and re-attach to a host bee, rendering the monitoring attempt useless.
Countering Hygienic Behavior
Honeybees are naturally hygienic and will actively remove debris from the hive floor. This includes dead mites.
If mites are not stuck to the plate, house-cleaning bees will carry them out of the hive before you can count them. The sticky plate preserves the sample, ensuring the count reflects the actual drop rather than just what the bees haven't cleaned up yet.
Enhancing Visual Accuracy
To facilitate accurate counting, these plates typically utilize a high-contrast background, such as white paper or card.
This visual contrast against the dark mites allows technical personnel to rapidly identify specimens, differentiating them from other hive debris like wax cappings or pollen.
Turning Counts into Actionable Data
Evaluating Treatment Efficacy
The most critical application of sticky plates, according to the primary reference, is measuring the "kill efficiency" of medicinal protocols.
By placing a board immediately after applying a chemical treatment, you can capture the resulting "mite drop." A high number of trapped mites confirms that the active agent is effectively dislodging parasites from the colony.
Monitoring Natural Mortality
In the absence of chemical treatment, sticky plates record "natural mite fall." This data provides insight into the baseline mortality rate of the parasite population.
Assessing Colony Genetics
Sticky plates provide foundational data for research into bee genetics, specifically grooming behavior.
Certain honeybee genotypes are better at physically grooming mites off themselves. A higher natural fall on the sticky plate can indicate a colony with superior hygienic traits and higher mite tolerance.
Understanding the Trade-offs
The Population Context Problem
While sticky plates provide a precise count of fallen mites, they do not inherently tell you the percentage of infestation.
Results can be difficult to interpret because they do not account for the total bee population. A large pile of mites might indicate a heavy infestation, or simply a very large colony with a normal mite ratio.
Estimation vs. Precision
To use sticky plates for decision-making, beekeepers must rely on coefficients and multipliers.
For example, counting the daily drop and multiplying by 20 to 40 gives an estimate of the total population. While useful, this is less precise than methods like an alcohol wash, which calculates an exact ratio of mites per 100 bees regardless of colony size.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
- If your primary focus is evaluating treatment success: Use sticky plates to confirm that your chosen medication is actively killing mites and causing them to drop.
- If your primary focus is screening for genetics: Use sticky plates to monitor natural drop rates, which serves as an indirect assessment of the colony's grooming efficiency.
- If your primary focus is precise infestation ratios: Consider an alcohol wash, as sticky boards are prone to interpretation errors regarding total colony population size.
Sticky plates are the definitive tool for capturing the physical evidence of mite mortality, converting a biological process into hard data.
Summary Table:
| Feature | Purpose & Function | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Adhesive Coating | Immobilizes live mites upon contact | Prevents re-infestation and loss of data |
| High-Contrast Base | White background for visual clarity | Rapid and accurate identification of mites |
| Treatment Tracking | Captures mites post-medicinal application | Measures treatment "kill efficiency" |
| Genetic Screening | Monitors natural mite drop rates | Identifies colonies with superior grooming traits |
| Debris Preservation | Prevents house-bees from cleaning mites | Ensures data represents the actual mortality rate |
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References
- Ivana Tlak Gajger, Maja Ivana Smodiš Škerl. Effectiveness of the innovative remedy ApiBonum ib on honeybee colony vitality. DOI: 10.46419/cvj.57.1.7
This article is also based on technical information from HonestBee Knowledge Base .
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