Apivar stopping queens laying?

[echidna]

Hello Everyone,
I was just wondering if anyone else has had problems with queens stopping laying when Apivar is added, or for any other reason at this time of year? As a follower of The Apiarist, at this time of year I am always thinking about the 'winter bees' being produced. This process always gets disrupted as my queens stop laying in early autumn (several hives over several years). I've learned not to panic that they've gone queenless, but it seems like a major drawback of the varroa treatment if that's what's caused it. It would be helpful to know if that's a known problem, or if maybe I'm doing something else that's causing it at this time of year. The apivar went in nearly 3wks ago, following the instructions, and I currently have no eggs or larvae in any of four hives, but also no emergency cells and forage and stores alright.
The apivar strips always spoil the comb as well because the bees hollow out around them and then don't rebuild when the strips are removed. Does anyone else have that?

 

[drdrday]

To be honest I wouldn't know if it puts my Queens off lay. I'm not inspecting any more from the point I put the apivar in.
I know the colonies are strong and have laying Queens before I put the apivar in but I don't go in the brood boxes again until I have to take the strips out - and even then I cringe at having to break those lovely propolis seals they've built up in prep for the winter.
All I can say is I have an average of 4 hives each year, and the last 3 years, treating with apivar I haven't lost any colonies over winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

many colonies have brood breaks at this time of the year - regardless of what you put into the hive.
There's plenty of time for colonies to think about 'winter bees' it's only us humans who get their panties in a carrick bend about it.

 

[echidna]

That's reassuring, thank you.

 

[MrMouse]

I was having the same thoughts having looked into a couple of my hives today!
Note to self, leave them to it I suppose

 

[Wilco]

Brood nest is contracting anyway but I found queens wouldn't go near it and would lay on the opposite side of the box to where the Apiguard was if it wasn't central.

 

[rossbyjove]

Just put some in yesterday, usually use Apiguard but thought I would mix it up a bit.
Fingers crossed.

 

[madasafish]

I never inspect after July - except for mini nucs - so have no idea.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

there is a time when we should stop fiddling about - and it's definitely once you start treating, in fact, quite a while before.

 

[echidna]

I realise it's bad to disturb them for no real reason. At this time of year I'm normally just checking stores prior to feeding if the weather and/or forage availability haven't been good. This time I was intending to unite a rather defensive colony with a nicer one but couldn't find the queen to remove. I then started looking in other colonies to find some eggs to use to check if she was just elusive rather than absent. Having not found any, worrying about the Apivar overtook worrying about the defensive colony!