Apivar guidance

[domino]

Hi,

I was away over Christmas and two of my hives have developed increasing mite numbers, to the point I want to treat them.

They've never been treated with apivar and the apiary has very low resistance.

Reading the instructions is says use 1 strip on winter clusters, given the mild winter they are building up a little early I was wondering if one strip would be okay, but if I used two strips can you over dose them.

I don't plan on using apivar for another three years so I want to get the dose right.

Cheers

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My advice - throw it in the bin then oxalic, or even Apiguard in spring

 

[Chris B]

Is it really Apivar?
I don't recall ever reading the 1 strip for winter cluster in instructions.
Either way, I doubt your bees could be classified as in winter cluster at present.

 

[rugbee]

Hi,

I was away over Christmas and two of my hives have developed increasing mite numbers, to the point I want to treat them.

They've never been treated with apivar and the apiary has very low resistance.

Reading the instructions is says use 1 strip on winter clusters, given the mild winter they are building up a little early I was wondering if one strip would be okay, but if I used two strips can you over dose them.

I don't plan on using apivar for another three years so I want to get the dose right.

Cheers

Apivar is the best option if you have it use two strips two or three frames apart in the cluster they are coming out of winter now I start feeding next week.
leave in for at least eight to twelve weeks as it is quite slow acting and bee movement will slow dosage (lack of) use of oxalic is not as user safe and could cause queen and bee mortality, if there is brood it will not kill mites in there, apiguard is good used with Apivar but use a lower dose of 25g twice about 12 days apart
you can't over dose no need to not use for three years
don't quite understand what you mean by resistance is low

 

[jd101k2000]

As you are talking about resistance, is it possible that you mean Apistan, rather than Apivar?

 

[domino]

As you are talking about resistance, is it possible that you mean Apistan, rather than Apivar?

I do .... oops ... reading a label is hard

 

[oliver90owner]

I do .... oops ... reading a label is hard-

You will be reminded of your, err, difficulty - every time you spout your pro neoinics and GM propaganda! I hope everyone else takes note also!

RAB

 

[mbc]

Apivar is the best option if you have it use two strips two or three frames apart in the cluster they are coming out of winter now I start feeding next week.
leave in for at least eight to twelve weeks as it is quite slow acting and bee movement will slow dosage (lack of) use of oxalic is not as user safe and could cause queen and bee mortality, if there is brood it will not kill mites in there, apiguard is good used with Apivar but use a lower dose of 25g twice about 12 days apart
you can't over dose no need to not use for three years
don't quite understand what you mean by resistance is low

There are already reports of amitraz(the active ingredient in apivar) resistance in the UK.
If varroa isnt amitraz resistant its very effective and theres little point in treating with a thymol based product at the same time.
You can over dose with apiguard or apivar.

 

[Nige.Coll]

when i treated with Apiguard in autumn the queen stopped laying .
does the product you plan to use have the same effect ?
having her not laying this time of year could spell disaster.

 

[Tabby15]

I don't want to hijack this discussion but it would be useful to know thoughts on treating with oxalic.
Both hives treated with apiguard last year.
One hive is continuing to have a high mite drop. I wanted to do oxalic trickle treatment but combination of bad weather and illness (mine) has made this impossible.
So I don't think I should do it now. But am concerned that they need treatment. What does anyone recommend?

 

[Nige.Coll]

i tried apiguard and found it didn't really work well in one hive .
i didn't like the way it stopped the queen laying and the bees ignored it .
i swapped to OA and made a vapouriser and to be honest i have found it great.
no ill effects on bees and varroa drop when treated surprised me.
i treated 4 times about 4 days apart the last treatment had very little drop.

you just have to be careful and have some common sense when vapourising OA.

i didn't drizzle any over winter and left a board under the hive for a while and when checked very low drop still.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Ok, as we now know the OP meant Apistan (Tau-fluvalinate) which is a synthetic pyrethroid rather than vet prescribed Apivar (amitraz)

i would add two strips of Apistan as the colony, due to the mild weather, is unlikely to be in "winter Mode" but breeding like billy oh( well mine are)

after the apistan DONT use any pyretheroid on the hives for three years though otherwise any resistance that is in there will make the apistan ineffective ( curent research is showing that 3 years is enough break)

 

[Hivemaker.]

( curent research is showing that 3 years is enough break)

Don't know what research it was, but i tried some pyrethroid based treatment, had not used any of it for nine years, and it was nowhere near effective enough, a waste of time and money in fact.

 

[domino]

I do .... oops ... reading a label is hard-

You will be reminded of your, err, difficulty - every time you spout your pro neoinics and GM propaganda! I hope everyone else takes note also!

RAB

yawn............................................................................................

 

[domino]

Don't know what research it was, but i tried some pyrethroid based treatment, had not used any of it for nine years, and it was nowhere near effective enough, a waste of time and money in fact.

It seems to be having a good effect so far judging by the mite drop.

 

[Hivemaker.]

It seems to be having a good effect so far judging by the mite drop.

Good.

 

[Chris B]

Don't know what research it was, but i tried some pyrethroid based treatment, had not used any of it for nine years, and it was nowhere near effective enough, a waste of time and money in fact.

Could that be due to a mite invasion from somebody that was still using it Pete? I haven't used it for 9 years too. Only a year ago I got asked to remove hives of a deceased beekeeper, and found 6 to 8 strips in each one.

 

[domino]

Could that be due to a mite invasion from somebody that was still using it Pete? I haven't used it for 9 years too. Only a year ago I got asked to remove hives of a deceased beekeeper, and found 6 to 8 strips in each one.

I was a little worried about using it because of the resistance problem, so I put the strips in and kept a close eye on mite drop. I'm yanking the day the treatment ends because it seems that it's leaving them in which causes the problems.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Could that be due to a mite invasion from somebody that was still using it Pete?

It could well be, Chris, no doubt there are still those around that stick the strips in, in autumn, bees die out, swarms move in, strips go in ....and so on.