Varroa mite alcohol-wash (or sugar-roll) colony screen — Central Valley, CA (almond-pollination country).

California's Central Valley hosts the country's largest single managed-pollinator event every February, when hundreds of thousands of colonies are trucked in for almond bloom at high density — exactly the density that lets Varroa (and the viruses it vectors) move fast between colonies. A pre- and post-bloom wash count gives an operation a real number before mite pressure compounds across a shared bloom.

Where

Central Valley, CA — almond-pollination apiaries and staging yards · Open the map

Pay

$175 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash — recorded, and readable any time at vealth.net/labor/credit/(your wallet). You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

A dated mite-count record: sample method, mites-per-100-bees calculation, comparison to current seasonal threshold guidance, and the trend against the colony's prior counts — with treatment decisions routed out, never made here

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

skilled

Open until

2026-10-29

Posted by

0x034F…6c89

The creator wallet. Its signature is what approves proof and settles the wage.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it.

Bring

• A wide-mouth jar with a mesh/screened lid, or a purpose-built easy-check-style device, for the alcohol wash
• 70%+ isopropyl alcohol (or windshield-washer fluid) to cover the sample, OR powdered sugar for the non-lethal sugar-roll alternative
• A level 1/2-cup (~300-bee) scoop and a white sorting pan/tray for counting mites against a white background
• The colony's own hive records and prior mite-count history for trend

Steps

1. 1. Select a frame of open brood from within the brood nest — mites concentrate on nurse bees near open brood, not on bees from a honey super.
2. 2. Shake or brush bees from the frame into a collection container, checking briefly for the queen and setting her aside unharmed BEFORE sampling.
3. 3. Scoop a level 1/2-cup sample (about 300 bees) into the wash jar.
4. 4. For an alcohol wash: cover the bees with 70%+ isopropyl alcohol, seal, and shake vigorously 30-60 seconds to dislodge mites. For a sugar roll: add about 2 tbsp powdered sugar, roll to coat, wait about 2 minutes, then shake through the mesh lid over a white pan.
5. 5. Pour the wash through the mesh into the white pan and count every dislodged mite against the white background.
6. 6. Divide the mite count by the number of bees sampled (~300) and multiply by 100 to get mites per 100 bees; record the result with sample date, frame/location, and colony ID.
7. 7. Compare the count against the Coalition's current seasonal action-threshold guidance and Varroa Management Decision Tool; record the comparison as a flag, never a treatment choice.
8. 8. Log the round against the colony's prior counts to track trend, and set the next sampling date.

What counts as done

• Sample drawn from an open-brood frame with the queen confirmed set aside first; wash method (alcohol or sugar roll) recorded
• ~300-bee (level 1/2-cup) sample counted and mites-per-100-bees calculated, dated with colony ID and pre-/post-bloom timing noted
• Result compared to the Coalition's current seasonal threshold guidance / Varroa Management Decision Tool, recorded as a flag only
• Comparison logged against the colony's prior mite-count rounds and, where known, against neighboring-yard density context

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.