I made a foolish and unforced mistake today.

The bees have been really easy going. I've had the lid off without smoke and been around them without a veil. Just not at the same time.

Today, just before dinner and just before a thunderstorm, I decided to quickly put a crown board with butler bee escapes in between two of the top supers on Hive A.

I did this without a veil and without smoke. I tried to rush. The bees were furious.

I was stung on the ear and the eyelid. Maybe somewhere else on the head but I can't tell because my eye and my ear hurt more.

I collected my third swarm yesterday. I was called in the late afternoon by John. The swarm was in his back garden in Headingon. They had settled on a Mahonia bush at about eye level.

The point of this website is to collate information about Varroa biology, controls and treatments. I want to understand how to cope with Varroa.

My participation in the ReViVe project requires that I do not treat or control for Varroa. This does not mean leaving them entirely alone. I will continue to monitor the two hives for mite drop and for other bee diseases. I probably won't use the more invasive methods of swarm control. I will hopefully take some of the surplus honey.

This is a deliberate decision not to treat or control. It feels like quite a bold step.