Apilife var

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beebop

New Bee
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
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Location
uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
6
Has anyone experience of using Apilife var?,Is it any good? Did you break up the strips and put them around the brood chamber or use whole strips above a super?
 
Thanks for that link ,interesting but i'm still not sure whether the strips in the picture are on the brood or super frames
 
Reading the instruction on the packet shown in the advert using a magnifying glass, it says that the strips should go on top of the BROOD frames. The other aspect of thymol based products (which this is) is that the thymol can spoil any honey and contaminate the wax in supers that are left on during treatment. That means tainted honey next year. The instructions also say that the large strip can be cut into 4 pieces and placed in each corner of the brood box; also that after 2 weeks the bits should be removed before the next strip is used likewise. By cutting it into 4 it means that the cluster is not given an uncomfortable gassing as the thymol rains down as would be the case if the whole strip was bunged in the middle of the brood box. Boom, boom. It's be(e) kind to amm week didn't yer know.:seeya: Thinks - I hope I have got that about right!!!
 
Thanks all,I was hoping this product would be less invasive to the colony as other products, others have put the Queen off laying.guess i'll try it this season and see.
 
Well- the one strip is broken into 4 pieces and put onto the 4 corners of the brood box so no eke needed. Then this is repeated every 7 days till 4 strips are used- so you need to buy 2 packets, as 2 strips per packet. The course lasts a month hitting the whole brood cycle and extra!. Also supposed to control tracheal mite.
 
Also supposed to control tracheal mite.

Hence the menthol element.
 
Well- the one strip is broken into 4 pieces and put onto the 4 corners of the brood box so no eke needed. Then this is repeated every 7 days till 4 strips are used- so you need to buy 2 packets, as 2 strips per packet. The course lasts a month hitting the whole brood cycle and extra!. Also supposed to control tracheal mite.

I was told the bees dislike thymol. Is this correct or does it depend on the technique of applying? Are they going to be horrible to me while we treat?
 
What is the best dosage of Apilife Var for the UK at this time of year? On the packet it says put in 1 strip, leave for 7 days, and do this 4 times, but in the leaflet and on some websites it recommends something different for "regions characterized by lower temperatures", including northern europe - put in 2 strips, leave for 14 days, and do this twice.
 
I think we are ok in the UK this August to do the 4 snapped pieces per brood box - repeated weekly for another 3 weeks. It needs warmth - and the bees provide sufficient within the hive to complement the outside temp.
 
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Used it at the begining of this year and dont seem to have many mites so far!

ONE WORD OF WARNING THOUGH!! When I opened the first packet I was not aware how brittle it was! so open with care first dose the bees had about 8 pieces not 4 as I tried to rip open the packet! :smash: Ooops not recommend!

Will use it again this year and try not to break it this time!!
 
Instructions say close off OMF.Do you need to close off the OMF for the whole treatment?
My floors are a real snug fit and I'd be worried about sufficient ventilation for 4 weeks. Or is this a really dumb question?
 
Yes you need to leave your slide in for the whole duration of treatment....the more snug fit the slide is the better.....i also reduce the entrance to a couple of inches.
 
As per any thymol treatment they may hang out of the entrance for a couple or so days....just put a small section of treatment in to get them used to it,and then reduce down the entrance.......i don't do this personally....i just let them hang out..lol.....but if it worries you this is the way to proceed.
 
i put some in 3 of my hives today, i have Apiguard but wanted to try something different this time around as the mite drop has been next to nothing this year.

There seems to be some very different reports on this product, some saying it sends their bees into a frenzy and causes fighting between hives, though i very much doubt that, sounds more like the kind of behaviour you get at this time of year with robbing.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see if it is any good.
 
Two of my colonies are fine with it. The largest one sounds mad! So much noise coming from the hive. They have been OK with me when I changed the first strip but you can tell they're not happy, hundreds of bees buzzing loudly on the floor.
One thing though, I did a count after treatment. One mite on one board and nothing on the others, after five days. Two of the boxes have newly laying queens with brood that has just been capped. I guess that's where all the mites are :reddevil: but that does not explain why I have nil drop in my big hive.
 

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