- Choose a hive and use the same method each time
YFS recommends an alcohol wash when you want results that are easy to compare. Sugar rolls and other methods can still be recorded, but should not be treated as interchangeable.
- Take a consistent sample
For the standard alcohol-wash workflow, collect about 300 adult bees from a brood frame after making sure the queen is not in the sample.
- Run the wash and count mites
Record the sample size you actually used and the total mites you counted. YFS calculates mites per 100 bees from those two numbers.
- Choose and record the next step
Log a follow-up wash, treatment, or another plan with the hive so the result does not become an isolated number.
Bees / health records
Run and record a Varroa mite check
A practical alcohol-wash workflow, plus the exact details to record in YourFarmStats so results remain useful over time.
- 1Choose a hive and use the same method each time
- 2Take a consistent sample
- 3Run the wash and count mites
- 4Choose and record the next step
A straightforward alcohol-wash routine
Use a standard alcohol-wash kit and work through the same basic routine each time: find a brood frame with nurse bees, confirm the queen is not on the frame or in the sample, collect roughly a half cup of bees (about 300), and wash them in at least 70% alcohol. Shake for a consistent 60 seconds, strain, rinse, and count the mites that fall through.
An alcohol wash sacrifices the sampled bees. That tradeoff is why the guide is here: it gives a newer beekeeper a clear routine and gives an experienced beekeeper one consistent record format instead of extra explanation.
- Wash jar, solid lid, and mesh lid
- White basin, funnel, and filter
- At least 70% alcohol
- A consistent roughly 300-bee sample
- A queen check before the sample goes into the jar
What to enter in YFS
Open Inspect hive, add the Mites section, choose Alcohol wash, enter the number of bees sampled and mites counted, then save. YFS calculates the rate per 100 bees so a 300-bee sample and a slightly different sample can still be read together.
Record the actual hive and date. Add a brief note only when it changes the interpretation, such as a queen found and moved before sampling, a disrupted inspection, or a planned recheck after treatment.
- Hive and date
- Alcohol wash method
- Actual sample size
- Mites counted
- Any action taken or next check
If you use a sugar roll instead
Use the same queen check and roughly 300-bee sample. Put the bees in a clean, dry jar with a mesh lid, add about two tablespoons of dry powdered sugar, and gently roll until the bees are coated. Let the jar sit in the shade for a minute, then shake the sugar and mites into a white pan for a consistent 60 seconds. A light mist of water makes the mites easier to count before the bees are returned to the hive.
In YFS, select Sugar roll and enter the actual sample size and mite count. Keep sugar-roll results together when comparing them; use the same method on later checks when you want a clean trend. Do not record a sugar roll as an alcohol wash just to make the number look comparable.
- Dry powdered sugar
- Dry jar with a mesh lid
- White pan and water mister
- Consistent shake time
- Sugar roll method selected in YFS
Further reading
Sources for this workflow
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