When we talk with beekeepers about varroa management with Nectar, we often hear the same concerns: “I’ll never be able to do that at my scale,” or “If we’re blanket-treating anyway, why even bother sampling?” These are real challenges, and it’s important to be clear: even sampling a small percentage of colonies—5% or less—can generate valuable data that points you toward better timing, treatment choices, and yard-level strategies.
That’s why we built this guide. Nectar’s tools are designed to help you track, analyze, and act on varroa data without overwhelming your operation. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s to replace guesswork with hard data, so you can make informed decisions that help keep your mite levels low.
Tracking varroa levels and treatment applications in Nectar
Before you begin, ensure the Varroa Slider is enabled in the Manager’s Portal → Operations Tab.
Once enabled, you can use Nectar to record mite samples with the Varroa Slider in the Hive Inspection form—whether you’re doing an alcohol wash sample, a sugar roll/wash sample, or a bottom board sample.
Varroa Slider in the mobile app: enter the number of mites in sample
Viewing Varroa Data in the Portal
Once varroa data is collected, this data can be viewed in your managers portal. You can visualize this information in the following ways:
Per Yard:
The most recent varroa sample per yard
The average of the samples in the last visit
An average of the samples over the last 30 days.
Note: All of these per yard views can be sorted from highest to lowest.
You can find this data in the Varroa column of the whiteboard. If you haven’t yet set up a varroa column, you can add it to your whiteboard by clicking ‘manage columns’ and selecting ‘varroa.’
2. Per Operation:
See your operation’s overall varroa average over the last 30 days.
Click the varroa metric to see how it has fluctuated over time.
Visible at the top of your whiteboard
Click on the metric above to view this chart
3. Per Hive:
Like everything in Nectar, your varroa samples are logged to the individual hive and can be seen in the hives’ summary or history. As we explain in the best practice section below, Nectar does recommend sampling hives at the hive-level but does not prioritize returning to the same hive.
4. Treatment efficacy:
Once sufficient varroa and treatment data are collected, use insights to view your treatments' effect on varroa levels.
This Insight is available in the gallery under the "Varroa Impact category.”
Making Decisions with the Data
Nectar helps you answer the three most important questions in varroa management—when to treat, what to treat with, and how much to apply. The value isn’t just in collecting data, but in using it to guide decisions both in-season (where fast responses prevent losses) and off-season (where long-term patterns shape smarter plans).
In-Season Management Decisions
Identify Hives or Yards Needing Immediate Treatment
What to look for: Use the Per Yard view to spot mite counts above your treatment threshold (often 3–5 mites per 100 bees, depending on your region and management style).
Action steps:
On the Whiteboard, sort yards with the highest counts, or pull the “average varroa per yard” Insight to highlight pressure points.
Prioritize these yards for immediate treatment.
Consider sampling neighboring hives in the same yard to assess spread.
Why it matters: High mite loads can lead to rapid colony decline—intervening early prevents broader losses across the operation.
Evaluate Treatment Effectiveness
What to look for: On your Insights dashboard, use the ready-made report’ Last varroa level in function of treatment’ to compare pre- and post-treatment mite counts.
Action steps:
Record mite counts before applying treatment.
Record mite counts again 1–2 weeks after treatment.
Review the change—look for a significant drop in counts.
If mite levels don’t drop significantly, you may need to switch products, adjust dosage, or investigate whether treatments are being applied correctly in the field.
Why it matters: Not all treatments perform equally well in every operation or climate, and sometimes application errors weaken results. Tracking efficacy ensures you’re investing in the methods that actually work.
Optimize dosage volume and the number of rounds.
What to look for: Track how mite levels change after each round of a treatment protocol.
Action steps:
Compare different regimens—for example, six versus eight OA rounds.
Measure whether additional applications drive further reductions.
Why it matters: This helps you fine-tune dosage and frequency, balancing maximum efficacy against unnecessary cost or colony stress.
Off-Season Strategic Planning
Plan Preventative Treatments Based on Seasonal Patterns
What to look for: Use historical data in Insights to see when mite pressure typically rises in your operation (e.g., late summer spikes). You can also review this data on individual hive and yard pages in the managers portal.
Action steps:
Review previous years’ data for seasonal peaks.
Schedule preventative treatments ahead of the spike to reduce colony stress and mite spread.
Adjust timing if weather or local bloom patterns shift.
Why it matters: Proactive treatments are often more effective for colonies than emergency interventions.
Detect Problem Yards or Recurring High-Pressure Locations
What to look for: On your Insights dashboard, identify yards that consistently show above-average mite counts, even after treatment. Select the ready-made report called ‘average varroa per yard’ and adjust the time frame to include historical data.
Action steps:
Track and monitor these yards independently from the rest of the operation and consider sampling them more frequently.
Investigate environmental factors—nearby apiaries, forage availability, or microclimate differences.
Adjust management—rotate yards, strengthen biosecurity, or increase treatment frequency.
Why it matters: Understanding why certain locations repeatedly have high pressure helps you address the root cause instead of just the symptoms.
Best Practices for Using Nectar for Varroa Management
To get the most value from Nectar’s varroa tracking analytics, follow these best practices throughout the season. They’ll help ensure your data is accurate, actionable, and consistent year after year.
Maintain Consistent Sampling Methods
Why it matters: Switching between sampling methods (e.g., alcohol wash vs. sugar roll) can make it difficult to compare data across time or locations because each method has different sensitivity levels.
Best practice:
Choose one sampling method for your operation and stick with it for the season.
Use the same number of bees per sample (commonly 300 bees).
Train all field workers on the chosen method to ensure results are consistent and reliable.
Result: Comparable, trustworthy data that accurately reflects mite trends.
Record Every Treatment and Follow-Up Inspection
Why it matters: Treatment history is essential for measuring product effectiveness, avoiding over-treatment, and preventing resistance. A clear record helps ensure treatments are completed as planned, and on time.
Best practice:
Always log treatments during yard or hive inspections.
Include product name, application method, and dosage.
After treatment, schedule a follow-up mite sample to measure results.
Result: A complete treatment record that supports better decisions and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Regularly sample at the hive-level – but do not prioritize returning to the same hives
Why it matters: Most beekeepers assume that returning to the same hives builds more statistical consistency, but at Nectar, while we do recommend hive-level sampling, we do not prioritize returning to the same hives.
The reason is that, by sampling a random subset of colonies each round,
managers gradually build a higher percentage of hives that have been checked during the season. This gives a broader and more representative view of mite pressure across all yards, instead of concentrating data in just a few hives. Sometimes the same hive will be re-sampled by chance, which is useful for spotting clusters of infection. But the main goal is to expand coverage. Repeating this process over time creates a rolling dataset that shows both the overall mite situation and how treatments are working—without requiring every single colony to be tested.
Best practice:
Sample a different subset of colonies each round instead of always returning to the same hives.
Aim to cover a higher percentage of hives across the season while allowing some to be re-sampled naturally.
Focus on broad coverage across yards rather than perfect repetition at the hive level.
Result:
Builds a more representative picture of mite levels across your entire operation.
Helps identify high-pressure yards or clusters of infection without overcommitting resources.
Provides a more accurate overview of mite pressure and treatment efficacy over time.
Use Seasonal Comparisons to Refine Treatment Plans
Why it matters: Varroa pressure often follows seasonal patterns—learning yours can help you prevent infestations rather than react to them.
Best practice:
Review data from the same period in previous years.
Identify consistent high-pressure times and adjust your treatment schedule accordingly.
Compare year-over-year results to see if changes in your plan improved outcomes.
Result: A proactive, data-driven management plan that improves each season.
Take Aways
Varroa mites are one of the most serious threats to colony health—but with consistent tracking and the right tools, they can be controlled before they cause major losses. By logging varroa data in Nectar, you not only track current mite levels but also improve your chances of detecting infestations in the future. Once enough data is collected, it can be modeled against attributes like hive strength, weather, or yard history—similar to recent scientific approaches—to correct for sampling bias and sharpen detection. Every data point you enter strengthens your ability to spot problems earlier and more accurately—leading to healthier bees, stronger production, and fewer costly surprises.