1. Identify
Select the hive and eligible worker brood using your chosen protocol.
For queen breeders and selection programmes
Harbo assay records that stay consistent from cell to queen line.
Classify eligible worker brood cells, record reproductive and non-reproductive mite families, save the result against the hive, and compare VSH evidence with queen source, sister colonies, treatments, survival and production.
Human observation remains primaryBuzzTech organises the assay; it does not invent or diagnose the result.
Assay workflow
Keep the protocol clear while the evidence is in front of you.
2. Examine
Use direct viewing, a phone camera or a simple endoscope live view.
3. Classify
Record valid cells and mite-family reproductive status consistently.
4. Compare
Review VSH evidence with queen source, related hives and later outcomes.
Selection, not a label
Keep the evidence behind every breeder decision.
A score is more useful when the underlying observations, sampling date, hive identity and queen lineage remain available. BuzzTech lets programmes compare like with like instead of relying on detached notebook totals.
Assay evidence
Cell totals and classifications remain reviewable.
Queen lineage
Connect the result with queen source and sister colonies.
Season outcome
Compare assay evidence with survival, treatments and production.
Exportable history
Retain programme records outside a single person's notebook.
Evidence and terminology
VSH is specific, and the record should be too.
Varroa sensitive hygiene concerns worker responses to brood cells containing reproducing Varroa mites. It is not interchangeable with general hygienic-behaviour tests, and it does not remove the need to monitor colony mite pressure.
Protocol references: Penn State Extension VSH testing | USDA-ARS VSH sampling protocol | Harbo Bee Co. measurement resources.
Questions
Harbo assay and VSH FAQ
What is recorded?
The hive, date, eligible cells examined, mite-family classifications and the resulting selection evidence.
Is VSH general hygiene?
No. VSH specifically concerns Varroa-infested brood and should not be presented as the same as freeze-kill or pin-kill testing.
Does VSH replace mite monitoring?
No. It supports stock selection. Routine monitoring and locally appropriate management still matter.
Inside the assay flow
Keep the cell evidence, classification and queen line connected.
The guided flow supports the Harbo method without turning a careful biological assessment into a generic mite counter.
Start from the right hive
The assay begins from the hive record so the result belongs to the correct colony and queen line.
Inspect each cell
Use the phone camera or a simple endoscope while the classification choices stay close at hand.
Keep the class explicit
The app preserves the observation behind the final score so review and learning remain possible.
See it working
Twenty minutes on Zoom. A real operating system, working week in and week out.
We walk through BuzzTech as it is used at Forest & Bees: round reports, crew planning, field follow-up and the systems behind the week. You see a functioning business, not a staged demo. We do not need your hive count or operational figures to show it.
Your information stays optionalThe walkthrough uses the Forest & Bees system with permission. You choose whether to discuss your own scale, locations or commercial details.