Varroa Mite control using Chelifer bugs

Has anyone used Chelifer bugs as a natural Varroa Mite control?

I do not have any personal experience,, however this study was conducted in 2018 and the results were positive

https://www.beeculture.com/chelifers-or-pseudoscorpions-as-varroa-control-agents/#:~:text=Each%20pseudoscorpion%20can%20consume%20one%20to%20nine%20Varroa%20mites%20per%20day.

This is a great study. Thank you for posting it. I'm going to try it with my hive and see what results I get.

It is a fascinating concept. I read about this a while ago & it seemed promising. Do you have a source for the pseudo-scorpions? Please keep us updated with your results.

I stopped using chemical treatments years ago. Preferred to go with the survival of the fittest method & also tried some specific varieties that were specifically bred to be more agressive about removing mites. Hard to be sure how it compared to chemical treatments but I'd say it is mixed results. Some years are better than others.

@Mike Barkely I am currently trying to figure out sourcing for these bugs. No one sells them that I can see so I may end up going to local farms to see if I can source them from their barn areas where they like to live. I will keep you updated for sure.

Mike Barkley wrote:
I stopped using chemical treatments years ago. Preferred to go with the survival of the fittest method & also tried some specific varieties that were specifically bred to be more agressive about removing mites. Hard to be sure how it compared to chemical treatments but I'd say it is mixed results. Some years are better than others.

Same here. Have heard of the pseudo-scorpions, there was some discussion a while back on Beesource.com. Don't know anyone there who has tried it enough to recommend it.

I keep my hives small with lots of splits, and occasionally use oxalic acid. Last year was 50% loss.

Sarah Moisey wrote:@Mike Barkely I am currently trying to figure out sourcing for these bugs. No one sells them that I can see so I may end up going to local farms to see if I can source them from their barn areas where they like to live. I will keep you updated for sure.

They eat all kinds of small things while living in the humus layer of soil so theyll be on the prowl for that kind of habitat and they won't stay inside the clean domestic beehives. Especially if you use screen bottom boards. They will try to get down to the soil where the humus layer is so they can survive and be breed. Maybe if you used top entrance hives with alot of leaf compost debris on the bottom board they would stay in those decomposed leaves.  I think I read some people are deliberately leaving a debris layer at the bottom of their hives to be more like a natural rotten tree cavity. Maybe pseudo scorpions will actually like that habitat. The wild tree cavity honeybees died out in the 90s when the mites came so I doubt the pseudo scorpions will make enough of an impact.  There used to be little black honeybees before 1990s in the tree hollows and pseudo scorpions were in the bottom of those tree cavities in that rotten wood and bat guano. Honeybees are learning to adapt to the destructor mites but most people still treat organically and I don't know if pseudo scorpions can survive the treatments. I was interested in using the chelifer but I use oxalic acid vaporizer and essential oil of thyme. I use screen bottom boards and they'd not have any debris for habitat.