Return of the Varroa Mites

I did a mite count on most of my hives a couple weeks ago, and all were in reasonable shape except for one Carniolan (breed of honeybee) hive which had a mite count of 81 in 3 days!

So, I pulled 3 frames from the medium hive body (the top one) and stored them, placing the Apiguard packet over the brood next on the bottom deep hive body. I did that two weeks ago; per instructions I removed that packet and replaced with a new one today. If you want more details on Apiguard treatment, here's the video again.

Nearly all the bees spend their day working a single blooming eucalyptus tree right now. It's quite an amazing sight (and sound); thousands of bees humming along in this tree that sits right off our deck. Adding to the activity are usually a half-dozen hummingbirds, so it's a happenin' place!