Apilife Var

[Gmm243]

Morning,
Apologies if this has been asked before but I could not find any other threads dealing with this issue.
I treated 2 of my hives on Sat with Apilife Var but in my haste didn't realise the one tablet was meant to be for two hives.I broke each into 4 pieces and put it in the 4 corners of the two hives. Can this amount do them harm?Should I open the hives and remove the excess?Try not to open hives unless needed but don't want to be doing them any further harm.
Bees have been very grumpy since and at one of the hives there was about 20 or 30 either dead or sick bees last evening.They were bearding last night in the rain which they never do and instead of the usual contented hum they were very loud.
It has just warmed up here now and there seems to be lots of activity at both hives and no extra dead bees from.last evening.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Martimart]

Are they quite pungent, they probably don't like the smell, I use a Thymol solution that I add to my sugar syrup and it stinks.


Looking at the instructions they are a bit unclear. My understanding is you've done it correct, one tablet broken into 4 and placed in the corners of the brood box. I've only used the Apivar Strips so no real idea of how these work, the only spoke I'd put in the works in temperature for them to work effectively is now on the borderline, its quite cold now moving forward. Might be an option to look for an alternative. I'd normally start any of the varroa treatments a month or so ago, mine have been on 7 weeks and due to come off this week.

It's not going to hurt keeping it on, but get an oxalic acid drizzle kit or something similar, put a note in your calendar, set a reminder and do it on or near as damnit on the shortest day, just before Christmas.

 

[ericbeaumont]

one tablet was meant to be for two hives

One tablet per hive, broken into 4 pieces.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I broke each into 4 pieces and put it in the 4 corners of the two hives.

That’s right.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Morning,
Apologies if this has been asked before but I could not find any other threads dealing with this issue.
I treated 2 of my hives on Sat with Apilife Var but in my haste didn't realise the one tablet was meant to be for two hives.I broke each into 4 pieces and put it in the 4 corners of the two hives. Can this amount do them harm?Should I open the hives and remove the excess?Try not to open hives unless needed but don't want to be doing them any further harm.
Bees have been very grumpy since and at one of the hives there was about 20 or 30 either dead or sick bees last evening.They were bearding last night in the rain which they never do and instead of the usual contented hum they were very loud.
It has just warmed up here now and there seems to be lots of activity at both hives and no extra dead bees from.last evening.

Thanks for looking.

Each sachet contains two wafers so a full 4 week course of treatment for one national hive is two sachets. One wafer (or tablet if you like) to be applied each week in turn. Personally I simply cut a wafer in half and apply on top of the frames at diagonal opposites about 60mm in from the corner. Repeat 4 times a week apart. Nothing wrong with cutting the wafers into 4 pieces if you so wish but they are fragile and easy to break in handling.

 

[Gmm243]

Thank you all for the replies,what I have done is break the two wafers (1 whole packet) into 4 and placed this in one hive then used another packet for another hive.
Bees busy now and a fair smell of tymol coming from the hives but there are again some dead and very dozy bees around the national hive and yet the WBC hive had only a few dead drones outside it which I would expect. The bees in the WBC hive must not have liked it at as one of the pieces has been pushed out the door and was on the landing strip when I looked earlier.
I suppose what I really wanted to know is there any risk of killing the bees if I have given them too much?

 

[madasafish]

Give them too much thymol and you can kill the queen.

 

[Redcap]

One tablet per hive, broken into 4 pieces.

Interesting hive stands in that video.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thank you all for the replies,what I have done is break the two wafers (1 whole packet) into 4 and placed this in one hive then used another packet for another hive.
Bees busy now and a fair smell of tymol coming from the hives but there are again some dead and very dozy bees around the national hive and yet the WBC hive had only a few dead drones outside it which I would expect. The bees in the WBC hive must not have liked it at as one of the pieces has been pushed out the door and was on the landing strip when I looked earlier.
I suppose what I really wanted to know is there any risk of killing the bees if I have given them too much?

I can't give you a definite answer regarding killing your bees but you have given double the specified dose. It remains to be seen what effect you will observe. Don't abandon your treatment though, continue with 1 wafer each week for the remaining three weeks. It might be helpful if the sachets had simple and readable instructions printed prominently on the front.
For what it's worth I dose my 6 frame nucs with half a wafer once a week for four weeks so one sachet is used per nuc. The interior volume of the nuc is about half a national hive with about half the bees.

 

[Gmm243]

Again,thank you all for the replies.

I have been watching the bees most of the afternoon and there seems to be no issue with them.Still very busy even though the weather is not great but there is an abundance of ivy so they have been drawing that on for the past 3 weeks.
As for the instructions I should have myself more organised and read them in the house and then opened them with a knife or scissors. As it turned out I tried to open them with my gloves on and the wafers came out in bits.Another lesson learnt.
I am concerned about the queens though and it has crossed my mind to open both hives and remove the excess wafer.