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Combined price for Bee Gym and Bee Gym Slim £20.00
Bee Gym
The first Bee Gym experiments were in 2012… 14 years ago! Many types have been tried, leading to the two current versions.
Here is what we have learned so far:
• Trials have shown that bees come and use the Bee Gym consistantly.
• Adding Bee Gyms in Spring helps bees control Varroa mites throughout the season.
• Using the Bee Gym Slim in the brood area, combined with the Bee Gym on the floor of the hive, is more effective.
• Using Bee Gyms is compatible with sugar-dusting and drone brood uncapping.
• Bee Gyms can be used with other biomechanical methods of Varroa control.
Development of the Bee Gym Slim.
The original Bee Gym is designed to fit onto the Varroa mesh floor at the bottom of the hive.
Studies carried out during 2018 and 2019 led to the development of the Bee Gym Slim. It’s a simplified version of the Bee Gym that fits into bee space, hanging between the actual brood combs. We suggest that the beekeeper uses three or more per hive.
The original Bee Gyms can now stay on the floor of the hive helping bees to rid themselves of Varroa mites. See the Bee Gym Blog for results of a new study into the Bee Gym Slim.
Aims and purpose of the Bee Gym Project
• Year round Varroa protection
• Chemical-Free Varroa control to create sustainable colonies
• Minimal intervention from the beekeeper
What Beekeepers are Saying about the Bee Gym
Stuart
I think this whole design is a brilliant idea! No chemicals! Easy
to put in! I've looked through the mesh floor with an old Ford Escort
wing mirror to see the bees grooming, it's a heartwarming sight. As are
the live tiny mites which have obviously been dislodged, crawling
around on the board (but hampered by vaseline).
Thanks a lot.
Julia Doyle
Dear Stuart
On my last inspection the Bee Gym was in use. I feel sure that having a
Bee Gym available from the start has been the main reason for the
extremely low Varroa count throughout last season, and so far this
season. Thank you.
Yours sincerely.
Liz Lee
Stuart
the bee gym is still in my long hive and I've been counting mite drop
on a (mostly) daily basis all season. The mite drop peaked at
about 40 a day in early July and has gradually declined over the summer
and at present it is less than 5 a day .. sometimes as low as nothing
! The bees are healthy, no sign of brood disease, DWV or
Nosema. They are a delight to handle and remain completely
untreated so, in terms of varroa, I'm doing something right.
When the mite drop has been at its highest I've noticed a pattern of
dead mites beneath your original bee gym ... it's less noticeable now
there are less mites and I know from an earlier inspection that the
bees have 'modified' the bee gym by removing some of the 'scraper
tapes'. I don't know whether this is because they have over used
it or whether they decided they were foreign bodies and decided to
remove them!
Philip Argyle
Stuart, just to let you know that I installed a BeeGym in one of
my hives a week ago and put a Vaseline smeared floor tray in as well.
Yesterday I counted 25 dead varroa mites on the tray. It’s a
strong colony on 14 x 12 brood frames (6 with brood) and 4 supers
already full.
I had put the tray in for a week beforehand without the bee gym and
only counted 2 mites after a week (but I forgot to put the Vaseline on
it so it’s not a direct comparison because I suppose the fallen mites
could have climbed back).
Nonetheless an impressive change.
Matthew Last (May2014)
Stuart, just to let you know that my bees are incredibly healthy
now that I have installed Bee Gyms in all 3 hives. I have them on the
floors but am now considering putting them in ekes on the brood box.
I don’t measure mite drop but no longer see any deformed wings in either colony.
Matthew Last (May 2015)
Hi Stuart, I have to say that the device does appear to work - thank you.
I normally have a low varroa presence, and since I inserted the Bee Gym
into my three hives at the beginning of April I have noted a very low /
zero count of mites on my varroa boards.
I should add that two weeks ago I also applied Thymovar to see if this
would affect the mite drop, and again today when I inspected there was
a zero mite drop.
Graham Pooley
Stuart,
Many thanks for your email. I look forward to receiving the Bee
Gyms. You may recall I purchased four Bee Gyms a few weeks ago,
which I immediately put into four hives. I have been impressed
with the varroa drop in those four colonies in comparison to the varroa
drop in the hive I have been using as a control.
I am therefore planning to put Bee Gyms into all of my hives. And
I am very much hoping that they will prove to be a viable non-chemical
form of varroa control.
Good luck with your further research.
Kind regards,
Debs Steele
How does it work?
The Bee Gym is a framework housing four different shaped devices, which bees can use to scrape off or injure Varroa mites or other parasites.
1 The Flipper is a protruding, shaped plastic blade.
2 The spikes stick up from the side-bars of the gym.
3 The Limbo string is a fine thread stretched over a gap that the bees crawl through. It scrapes off mites from the bees’ backs.
4 The Parallel Strings are two fine threads, the upper and lower strings that the bee holds on to, and rubs against to dislodge or injure mites.
The Bee Gym is placed in the top of a brood box. The bees frequently pass over the Bee Gym and use the shaped components to help dislodge Varroa mites.
Does the Bee Gym fit into all types of beehive?
The Bee Gym is designed to fit into all types of hive. It sits on the Varroa mesh floor, close to the entrance of the hive. It needs a 16mm gap, so that the bees can groom themselves on the mite removal flippers.
When is the best time to start using a Bee Gym?
Trials suggest that the Bee Gym is more effective if it goes in when the mite population is less numerous. This could be when introducing a bought-in nucleus colony or in spring when the population of mites is usually lower.
How easy is it to install?
The Bee Gym is easy to install. Lift the brood box off and place the Bee Gym on the open mesh floor 1 inch back from the entrance. Replace the brood box.
The Bee Gym Slim is suspended between brood frames, using a cocktail stick. We recommend 3 or more Bee Gym Slims per hive
What makes the Bee Gym different from other treatments?
The Bee Gym works with the bees all year round because it stays in the hive. It even seems to be busy during the winter when the bees cluster directly over and around the Bee Gym. It requires minimal intervention from the beekeeper and poses no risk to the bees.
Chemical treatments require the attention of a beekeeper and can only be used for a limited period. Some chemicals cannot be used when a honey crop is in the hive. Most of the chemical treatments for Varroa have detrimental effects on bees.
How long will a Bee Gym last?
A Bee Gym requires minimal maintenance aside from a periodic clean-up, and is designed to last for several years. As with any foreign object placed into a beehive, the bees will try to destroy it and eject it from the hive, so there will be some wear and tear.
Does the Bee Gym fit into current Varroa control?
The Bee Gym fits very well into current Varroa control, as part of the Integrated Pest Management approach.