Apivar lead time ...

[italic63]

Hi everyone. Hope you're having a good weekend...
I'm using Apivar strips for the first time (can't afford to block the laying Queen) as I try and build up a weak family with a new queen they made for themselves. All is good in terms of brood quality and quantity as well as stores.
The strips have been in for 8 days now and I inspected the previously cleaned and oiled tin bottom. Lots of wax and pollen and a few ants but zero mites. I inspected it for a long time to be sure.
Can anyone tell me how much time the strips take to start working? I know they need to be in there 45-60 days but I was expecting something by now. I must say I've not seen a single mite all year on this colony.
Thanks

 

[Curly green finger's]

Hi everyone. Hope you're having a good weekend...
I'm using Apivar strips for the first time (can't afford to block the laying Queen) as I try and build up a weak family with a new queen they made for themselves. All is good in terms of brood quality and quantity as well as stores.
The strips have been in for 8 days now and I inspected the previously cleaned and oiled tin bottom. Lots of wax and pollen and a few ants but zero mites. I inspected it for a long time to be sure.
Can anyone tell me how much time the strips take to start working? I know they need to be in there 45-60 days but I was expecting something by now. I must say I've not seen a single mite all year on this colony.
Thanks

I think the brood break in between both queen's has something to do with the mite levels.. But in general this season I've seen minimal mites when doing sugar shakes, I wouldnt worry to much and keep on with the treatment but keep putting your inspection board in for 24 hrs once a week.
What do you mean by blocking the new queen? Was you referring to another type of treatment.?
When using apivar strips in the past I've seen mites drop in three days but also minimal and yet I've had to wait three weeks also.
Did you position them correctly and used the right dosage?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi everyone. Hope you're having a good weekend...
I'm using Apivar strips for the first time (can't afford to block the laying Queen) as I try and build up a weak family with a new queen they made for themselves. All is good in terms of brood quality and quantity as well as stores.
The strips have been in for 8 days now and I inspected the previously cleaned and oiled tin bottom. Lots of wax and pollen and a few ants but zero mites. I inspected it for a long time to be sure.
Can anyone tell me how much time the strips take to start working? I know they need to be in there 45-60 days but I was expecting something by now. I must say I've not seen a single mite all year on this colony.
Thanks

Apivar is a long treatment and the few times I’ve used it the drop has been light in the first week. If you want to see how the drops go then keep your inspection trays in all the time and clean them every day. Quite frankly I wouldn’t bother Putting them in for 24 hours now and then isn’t going to tell you much.
Of course there may well be few mites or the Apivar may not be working.
Thymol and Formic are known to put queens off lay, you’re right. The latter can induce a more permanent state of affairs

 

[italic63]

I think the brood break in between both queen's has something to do with the mite levels.. But in general this season I've seen minimal mites when doing sugar shakes, I wouldnt worry to much and keep on with the treatment but keep putting your inspection board in for 24 hrs once a week.
What do you mean by blocking the new queen? Was you referring to another type of treatment.?
When using apivar strips in the past I've seen mites drop in three days but also minimal and yet I've had to wait three weeks also.
Did you position them correctly and used the right dosage?

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I would have preferred to use oxalic acid but as I say needed to keep the Queen going.
I'm pretty sure I placed the strips properly as per the instructions.
Thanks again

 

[Boston Bees]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I would have preferred to use oxalic acid but as I say needed to keep the Queen going.
I'm pretty sure I placed the strips properly as per the instructions.
Thanks again

I think everyone's a bit confused as to why you think vaping OA would have stopped the queen laying?

 

[italic63]

Apivar is a long treatment and the few times I’ve used it the drop has been light in the first week. If you want to see how the drops go then keep your inspection trays in all the time and clean them every day. Quite frankly I wouldn’t bother Putting them in for 24 hours now and then isn’t going to tell you much.
Of course there may well be few mites or the Apivar may not be working.
Thymol and Formic are known to put queens off lay, you’re right. The latter can induce a more permanent state of affairs

Thanks.
Yes trays are in all the time.

 

[italic63]

I think everyone's a bit confused as to why you think vaping OA would have stopped the queen laying?

Sorry didn't mean to cause confusion.
What I meant was that I would have preferred to treat with oxalic acid dribble but this only works if there is no capped brood and I couldn't afford to force the Queen to stop laying because I need to build the colony back up after it lost its queen some weeks ago.

 

[Boston Bees]

Sorry didn't mean to cause confusion.
What I meant was that I would have preferred to treat with oxalic acid dribble but this only works if there is no capped brood and I couldn't afford to force the Queen to stop laying because I need to build the colony back up after it lost its queen some weeks ago.

Ahh OK right. No, OA dribble is a winter-only thing.

 

[italic63]

Ahh OK right. No, OA dribble is a winter-only thing.

I think everyone is a bit confused now that you've said it's a winner thing only. . being a liquid treatment that it would be too cold for the bees in the winter.

 

[italic63]

I think everyone is a bit confused now that you've said it's a winner thing only. . being a liquid treatment that it would be too cold for the bees in the winter.

Winter sorry

 

[Boston Bees]

Winter sorry

No, I don't think they are confused...

But this site (or many similar) may help you:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/oxalicdribble.html
OA dribble is applied only when the hive is natural broodless, or as much so as possible, which I believe usually means anything from November to early January. In my lazy terminology I called this "winter". I know the precise timing is a matter of some debate.

 

[Boston Bees]

Winter sorry

PS here's good old Norfolk Honey giving an example in a video shot after Christmas

 

[Curly green finger's]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes I would have preferred to use oxalic acid but as I say needed to keep the Queen going.
I'm pretty sure I placed the strips properly as per the instructions.
Thanks again

Your welcome, I suggested 24hrs once a week with the inspection board which would give an indication to mite drop for the simple reason we have numerous colonys and I can't imagine having to drive around everywhere cleaning inspection boards it takes me the best part of 5 hrs to just inspect all hives at the hight of the season.

Have you ever thought of using a sublimox or a cheaper pan vaporizer?
You can use these with brood present in August /September and in December and if you have high mite levels through out the honey flow season you can remove supers vap and then 24hrs later put the supers back on, a very useful tool for applying OA throughout the year.
You also don't have to think you need to wait until December to dribble OA something I wouldn't like to do anyway.

I will be using apivar/apistan and then a sublimox in early December.
Good luck and just my thoughts and method of treatments.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Your welcome, I suggested 24hrs once a week with the inspection board which would give an indication to mite drop for the simple reason we have numerous colonys and I can't imagine having to drive around everywhere cleaning inspection boards it takes me the best part of 5 hrs to just inspect all hives at the hight of the season.

Have you ever thought of using a sublimox or a cheaper pan vaporizer?
You can use these with brood present in August /September and in December and if you have high mite levels through out the honey flow season you can remove supers vap and then 24hrs later put the supers back on, a very useful tool for applying OA throughout the year.
You also don't have to think you need to wait until December to dribble OA something I wouldn't like to do anyway.

I will be using apivar/apistan and then a sublimox in early December.
Good luck and just my thoughts and method of treatments.

Apistan?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Apistan?

You now what I meant? Apistan vs apivar

 

[Erichalfbee]

You now what I meant? Apistan vs apivar

It reads that you will be using either. I just wondered why you were considering something that doesn’t work
I had a look at your link. The shop strangely sells Taktic which has been withdrawn snd is illegal

 

[Curly green finger's]

It reads that you will be using either. I just wondered why you were considering something that doesn’t work

Well I should edit my post I only have apivar strips and OA sublimox apologies.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well I should edit my post I only have apivar strips and OA sublimox apologies.

I added to my post. The link is American

 

[Curly green finger's]

I added to my post. The link is American

Aye and you can still buy it over here via amazon

 

[Erichalfbee]

Aye and you can still buy it over here via amazon

I couldn’t find any in U.K. or USA sites.