I’ll never forget, at the very beginning of my beekeeping journey, being invited to a friendly beekeeper’s apiary to get hands-on experience in the common practice of “organic” mite treatment. I decided that very day if this was the only way (which many believe it to be), beekeeping was not for me. It was the car battery, gas mask, and running to duck for cover for me😑.

I’m always looking outside the States for natural beekeeping practices and studies to adapt to my apiary. I’ve been particularly interested in discovering healthy, biological alternatives for varroa mite treatments. Varroa mites (commonly referred to as “Varroa Destructor”) are a widespread problem whose infestations can debilitate an entire hive. I was excited to learn that in Europe, rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is used as an effective and natural method of controlling varroa.

Rhubarb is quite popular for baking and making jams. However, humans are advised to use only the rhubarb stalks because the leaves are considered toxic due to concentrations of oxalic acid. It is this oxalic acid in the rhubarb leaves that helps control varroa mites and protects the bees during their most vunerable months without poisoning the bees or contaminating the honey. By placing a few rhubarb leaves inside the hive (between the brood and super boxes), the worker bees will work to remove the “debris” from the hive. Their removal of the leaves will cause them to get oxalic acid on their bodies which they’ll naturally spread through the colony as they roam the hive. Any leaf scraps left inside the hive will slowly break down and release oxalic acid in a gaseous form which circulates inside the brood nest to further control the colony’s varroa level. Fascinating, right?!

I tried, unsuccessfully, to grow rhubarb last year (from seed and from crown😞), but it’s a new year. I think I figured out what I did wrong last year and my new MacDonald variety rhubarb plants are off to a strong start.

My plan for this cold-weather, perennial plant is to pamper them in the shade of the outdoor nursery this Summer to increase their chances of survival and am not above bringing one (or all) of them inside to air conditioning, if necessary. In early-Winter, I’ll put a rhubarb plant outside to see how well it handles our cold season. I expect it’ll do well. Summer is the real killer😩. At some point, I’ll try eating rhubarb for the first time (I hear it’s delicious), but truthfully I only care about figuring out how to successfully grow it for my bees right now😝.