# Randy Oliver Put It To The Test

- Link: https://thermahive.net/2026/10/26/randy-oliver-put-it-to-the-test/
- Published: 2026-10-26T19:48:07-04:00
- Author: Alexis Boback

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 |   ThermaHive • Independent Field Test • October 2026  |  
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Independent Field Test

Randy Oliver Put It
_To The Test._

One of beekeeping’s most rigorous testers ran ThermaHive in his own apiary. Here’s the full picture: what worked, what didn’t last, and what we’re changing because of it.

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 |   ThermaHive  |   Randy Oliver’s Results  |

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Last time, we promised Randy Oliver’s results. Here they are, numbers and all.

Hello from the ThermaHive team, and a warm welcome to everyone who’s joined us since
our last letter. Here’s what’s new since then:

 * •  Randy Oliver ran his first ThermaHive treatments in his California apiary
 * •  V2 is no longer a pre-order: kits now ship within 4 to 6 weeks of purchase
 * •  Apimaye users: we now offer a free bottom box customization with every V2 
   Complete Kit
 * •  Our samples from the National Honey Bee Survey visit are still at the University
   of Maryland, with lab results expected in November

Catch us next at the Maryland State Beekeepers Association meeting on November 14th,
or at our booth at NAHBE 2027 in Louisville, KY, from January 7th to 9th, 2027.

Now, on to Randy. When we sat down with him in September, he agreed to test ThermaHive
in his own operation, on his own terms. He doesn’t hand out easy praise, which is
exactly why we asked. His results are his own, and we’re sharing them as they came
in.

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Independent Testing

How Randy Tested ThermaHive

![ThermaHive V2 running on one of Randy Oliver's test hives](https://i0.wp.com/thermahive.
net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Randys-Hive.png?ssl=1)

ThermaHive V2 on one of Randy’s test hives

Randy is a commercial beekeeper and biologist, known to many through ScientificBeekeeping.
com and his varroa model. He tested ThermaHive V2 the same way he evaluates any 
treatment: count the mites falling onto a sticky board for a few days to get a baseline,
run the treatment, keep counting daily for two weeks or more, and run alcohol washes
along the way.

He tested two very different colonies: a strong double he calls Hive A, and a smaller
medium double, Hive B.

 

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Hive A

One Treatment, a Big Knockdown

Before treatment, Hive A was dropping about 100 mites a day. On September 29th, 
Randy ran a single ThermaHive treatment. That day, **956 mites** dropped, roughly
nine times the hive’s normal rate, followed by another 397 and 231 over the next
two days.

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Mites Dropped, Treatment Day

956

vs. about 100 per day before

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Mite Wash, About 10 Days Later

19 → 5

mites per alcohol wash

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![Sticky board covered in dropped mites after a ThermaHive treatment](https://i0.
wp.com/thermahive.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Randys-mite-board.png?ssl=1)

A sticky board from Randy’s test, after treatment

Then the mites came back. By about day 20, Hive A’s wash count had climbed back 
to where it started.

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Est. Mite Population Reduction

50–60%

of the hive’s mites, from one treatment (Randy’s model)

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Why Only One Treatment?

That was deliberate. Randy wanted to answer the question that matters most for any
heat treatment: does it kill or sterilize the mites sealed inside capped brood? 
The way to find out is to treat once and keep counting for at least two weeks. If
the brood mites survive, the infestation rebounds as they emerge with the new bees,
and in Hive A, it did.

His varroa model suggests that single treatment cut Hive A’s total mite population
by roughly 50 to 60 percent, with the infestation back at its starting level in 
about 20 days. If that holds, he expects that treating on a monthly schedule would
keep mite growth in check.

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Hive B

A Smaller Colony, Results Still Coming In

Hive B, the smaller of the two, got its first treatment on September 30th. Its mite
wash fell from 45 to 13 the next day, and it read 11 after a second treatment on
October 10th.

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Mite Wash, Before

45

September 30

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Mite Wash, After

13

the day after treatment

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A caveat: airflow in the unit was partly blocked during Hive B’s first treatment,
so we’re reading that run with caution. Randy is still collecting Hive B’s final
counts, and we’ll share them as soon as they’re in.

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What It Means

The Brood Is Where the Battle Is

One treatment knocks down a lot of mites, fast. But Randy’s test shows why a single
treatment isn’t a season-long fix: the mites hiding in capped brood decide whether
a hive stays clean.

It lines up with what we saw this season. In our last letter, our North Carolina
tester’s back-to-back treatments, run 7 to 14 days apart, outperformed single treatments.
And across our own research apiaries, where hives were treated repeatedly through
the season, we lost **zero treated colonies across 20 hives**.

We’re using Randy’s data to sharpen our recommended treatment schedule for next 
season. He’s also hoping to test one more high-mite hive before his colonies shut
down brood rearing for the winter.

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Now Shipping

V2 Ships in
_4 to 6 Weeks._

No more pre-orders and no more waiting until January. Order a V2 Complete Kit today and it ships within 4 to 6 weeks of purchase.

  |   ⌊The ThermaHive V2 Complete Kit⌉  |

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Complete Kit

$749.99

or pay over time

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Ships In

4–6 Weeks

from purchase

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Warranty

Lifetime

on ThermaHive units

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What’s in the Kit

 * •  Bottom box frame with the magnetic heater insert
 * •  Removable diffuser board
 * •  Two wireless hive sensors
 * •  Power cord and SD card for logging every treatment

**Free pickup at NAHBE 2027.** Heading to Louisville, KY, January 7th to 9th? Choose
the free NAHBE pickup option at checkout and grab your kit at our booth, no shipping
cost.

| [Order V2 Today](https://thermahive.net/product/v2/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=randy_results_oct26) |

Pay in full, or over time with Klarna, Affirm or Afterpay at checkout.

Outside the US and Canada?

The V2 Complete Kit, International 230V, is built for 220 to 240V mains power. It’s
built to order with a 50% deposit and ships 4 to 6 weeks after your order.

| [Shop the International 230V Kit](https://thermahive.net/product/v2-international/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=randy_results_oct26) |

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Apimaye Users

ThermaHive Works With Apimaye Hives

ThermaHive is Apimaye compatible, and we’re now offering a **free customization**
for Apimaye users with every V2 Complete Kit. We add a piece of wood to both long
sides of the bottom box, giving the Apimaye base a more stable platform to sit on.

When you treat, remove the collection tray and use a little tape to block any gaps,
as in the photo below.

![ThermaHive on an Apimaye hive with gaps taped for treatment](https://i0.wp.com/
thermahive.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IMG_6392.jpg?w=680&ssl=1)

ThermaHive on an Apimaye hive, gaps taped for treatment

 |  ⌊Added wood on the long side of the bottom box under an Apimaye hive⌉ |  ⌊Close-up of the added piece of wood on the bottom box⌉ |  ⌊Apimaye hive sitting on the customized bottom box⌉ |

The free Apimaye customization: an added piece of wood on each long side of the 
bottom box

To get it, just add a note at checkout letting us know you’re an Apimaye user. We’ll
take care of the rest.

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### Thank You, Randy

For putting ThermaHive through a real test, on his own time and in his own hives,
and for telling us exactly what he found. That kind of honesty is how this gets 
better.

And thank you to every one of you reading this, new and longtime, for following 
along. Questions about the results or your own hives? Just reply. We read every 
one.

 [info@thermahive.net](https://thermahive.net/2026/10/26/randy-oliver-put-it-to-the-test/info@thermahive.net)•(
410) 417-7339  •  [thermahive.net](https://thermahive.net)

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