What should a beginning beekeeper do about varroa mites?
Despite what may be said on the Internet, there is no silver bullet in beekeeping for eliminating varroa mites. Your colony management plan must include a strategy for managing these deadly parasites. The goal for your pest management should be to manage not eradicate these pests. In other words, keep the varroa mite population at low enough levels that your well-fed colony can still thrive.
The key to such a pest management plan is monitoring. Plan on incorporating a varroa mite wash as a component of your regular hive inspection. If you count more than 5 mites, you should treat for varroa mites. Otherwise, you should not.
There are several treatments for varroa mites that use organic acids. Unfortunately, all of them also cause harm to your bees. The one that is easiest for a new beekeeper to use is formic acid, and the easiest to use formulation of this is the product called Mite Away Quick Strips. You should only use this product if your colony has at least six completely covered frames of bees. You also cannot use this product if the daily high temperature exceeds 85 degrees on the day of application and for the following three days. Further, to reduce harm to your bees, especially your queen, apply Mite Away Quick Strips at only half of its manufacturer recommended dosage.