Apilife var and distressed bees

[linoleum bonypart]

OK so I've been watching an American " no treatment " lecture on YouTube...two days mite drop equaled about twenty counted ....just wondering whether the distress and few deaths are worth carrying on with the treatment it was a swarm and I don't think carrying a heavy load I've done two weekly counts in the past with zero to five counted... Any ideas

 

[Heather]

2 days count - 20 varroa.. I would treat urgently. Apiguard rather than Apilife var.... IMO -2 treatments of 18 day cycles.

Only leave the inspection board in for 2 days to get an accurate count. Any more and ants may remove some varroa or debris may cover evidence.

Zero to 3 varroa in 2 days.. I would leave them alone, allow the queen to carry on laying her winter brood calmly, then treat in December. Oxalic sublimation or trickle.
If you have a higher count then treat late August when all harvested honey removed, .. yes bees wont like it, and may come out front fanning to get clean air through, but tough .. they will survive. Queen may reduce laying. She will start again as you feed after finishing treatment.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

firstly - yootoob is a dangerous place with a lot of rubbish featured.
What distress and dead bees?
I would treat - apilife var or apiguard - it's all thymol
you need a seven day inspection to be a bit more accurate - 20 in two days doesn't suggest urgent treatment needed (but then again I don't trust the NBU varoa calculator) but to get them into winter with a good a chance as possible - i would treat

 

[linoleum bonypart]

No twenty drop with first two days of treatment....a lot of bees hanging around outside entrance

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

so you have the treatment on - you don't get the full result of the treatment for a good few days - sometimes after the course has finished - quite normal to have the bees hanging around the entrance, it's no big deal. Just carry on with it.
In my view mite counts previous to treatment never give an accurate picture of the varroa load of the colony. Seen too many instances on here where people have had a very light natural drop, then when they treat are surprised by the piles of dead mites on the trays

 

[Swarm]

In my view mite counts previous to treatment never give an accurate picture of the varroa load of the colony. Seen too many instances on here where people have had a very light natural drop, then when they treat are surprised by the piles of dead mites on the trays

 

[Goran]

Some beeks here used it recently, according to their words, mostly politely translated - it was totally ineffective.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Compare the relatively mild discomfort of bees with thymol compared to the bees that come out of their cells without wings or the distress when a colony dies during winter.

 

[Tomo]

I used Apilife-var last year on my two colonies as recommended by the regional bee inspector at a bee health day. Put it on late August and followed the instructions to the letter. Worked very well indeed. Not many mites before application, loads afterwards (havn't got the numbers to hand)! Very surprised, as I was told by the people that supplied the bees that there was no varoa as they regularly applied icing sugar! Stick with it. You will be pleased with the results when your healthy colony comes through the winter; so, they may not like it.....never mind they are insects!

 

[Arfermo]

I used Apilife-var last year on my two colonies as recommended by the regional bee inspector at a bee health day. Put it on late August and followed the instructions to the letter. Worked very well indeed. Not many mites before application, loads afterwards (havn't got the numbers to hand)! Very surprised, as I was told by the people that supplied the bees that there was no varoa as they regularly applied icing sugar! Stick with it. You will be pleased with the results when your healthy colony comes through the winter; so, they may not like it.....never mind they are insects!

Bloody icing sugar yet again. Ineffective waste of sugar!!!!

 

[beeno]

Bloody icing sugar yet again. Ineffective waste of sugar!!!!

There is nothing humane about covering bees in icing sugar either. No drop to speak of and some died from being totally covered in it. Can still see the white eyes looking at me!

 

[Heather]

BBKA mag has a page on it.. recommending..

 

[Gilberdyke John]

so you have the treatment on - you don't get the full result of the treatment for a good few days - sometimes after the course has finished - quite normal to have the bees hanging around the entrance, it's no big deal. Just carry on with it.
In my view mite counts previous to treatment never give an accurate picture of the varroa load of the colony. Seen too many instances on here where people have had a very light natural drop, then when they treat are surprised by the piles of dead mites on the trays

BBKA mag has a page on it.. recommending..

Bwahh hah hah hah
It might be a method of sampling mite load but it's efficacy as a method of control?