Do I really need to monitor?

Yes, you really should. There is a really big difference between hoping that your colony isn't overtaken by mites, and knowing that your bees aren't overtaken by mites. There is also a big difference between looking for mites and monitoring for mites. By the time that you see mites on the bees or in the brood, it is often too late to bring the colony back to health. You need to know your mite control is working and that your bees are healthy, because what worked for you last year may not work for you this year, or what is working for others may not be enough in your area. You want the information when you can still take action - not when you are cleaning deadouts in the spring.

What is the best way to monitor for varroa? 

The question we are answering with monitoring is “Are my bees being overtaken by mites, or are they okay?”. It is most useful to have an answer that is written in terms of percent infestation or mites/ bees. The alcohol wash and sugar roll will give you this information. Both are fine to use, but the alcohol was is easier (you can mess up the sugar roll by not using enough sugar, geting the sugar wet, or not letting the bees sit long enough).

Things like checking drone brood, checking bottom boards/ inspection boards, or looking for mites may show you that mites are in the hive, but it is really hard to know how many are there in relation to the bee population.

When should I start monitoring? 

Mite growth in the hive is exponential.  Where I live in Michigan, we often see low levels of mites in May, June, and July, and they start to peak in August. The growth in August can be really fast. We also often see another peak later as unmanaged colonies start to crash in the fall. It is most important to monitor from late summer through fall (if you live in a similar climate).

I don’t start monitoring until after I have done a lot of varroa mite control through splits and drone brood removal. I don’t monitor in the early spring, because I know I will be doing control soon after. I however, have done hundreds, if not thousands of mite checks. If you are new to monitoring, then it is good to start before the risk is high (e.g. May), so that you can learn how to do it well - there is a learning curve to getting a good scoop of bees. You want to be able to trust the outcome of your monitoring when it really counts. 

At least eight.  If you have only a few colonies, then you want to monitor each one.  If you have a big yard, then you want to do at least eight so that you capture a range of outcomes. You may have some colonies that had a break in the brood cycle (low risk), and you may have some that robbed out a collapsing hive (high risk).  Usually, by monitoring 8 hives, you capture all of those dynamics.

I recommend monitoring every time you do a full inspection (every 3 weeks).   That way you can understand the varroa dynamics in your area.  It is also good to monitor before and after you perform any treatments so that you know that they work. Take good notes and talk to others so you know the high risk times in your area. For me in Michigan, my high risk time is from mid-August on. That is when in -hive growth can take off, and when bees can rob from neighboring hives.

You want to use monitoring as a way to ensure that your varroa mite strategy is working. The only place in the US that I know of that doesn’t require any action for varroa is Kauai. If you are with me outside of paradise, then you need to have a plan to take action against mites (for now at least). If you lost > 50% of your bees last year, than your plan was not sufficient, so you can build from there. Use monitoring to learn the dynamics in your area and your hives and to make sure that your plan is working. Monitoring should not be used as a tool to wait until mites are really high and then knock them back - if you do that, the damage will be done to your bees.

It is a skill to take a good scoop of bees, and it does take time. If you cannot seem to do it (which is fine, and normal), then you can do two things. The first is to know what other people in your area are getting. Ask at your bee club, and check out the maps at mitecheck.com. We do this for all kinds of pests in integrated pest management - we use models and scouting to know when pests will be risky in our area. The second thing you can do is err on the side of caution, and copy someone WHO HAS KEPT ALMOST ALL THEIR BEES ALIVE FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. Ask your local bee club to find someone who can help you come up with a conservative strategy that will protect your bee health.