Association mite treatments this autumn.

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Curly green finger's

If you think you know all, you actually know nowt!
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Location
Titterstone clee South Shropshire
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National
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86 + nucs/ mini nucs
I'm interested in knowing how other associations have got on treating for varroa this summer/autumn?
Lbka are not treating at all because might loads have been bellow recommended levels to treat. This is after multiple tests.
Im also finding that my mite levels on 35 colonys are also very low 18 colonys are 60% below recommended levels to treat
After I did an excelerated might drop using sublimation and field tests through out the season.
I plan to do another excelerated drop in 30 days on the 18 colonys.

Im now TF at one apiary and I'm using my stock that has had the lowest rate of might drop to study and assess..

I wanted to add that Mike Saunders at Lbka is TF with some colonys,
And I know that there is some association members collectively following suite with colonys that have had low mite levels.

Colonys have been strong this season.. I'm wondering why there has been so many queen's having brood breaks, some times more than a brood cycle.. My theory is the lack of forage at the end of the summer which has maybe contributed to the low varroa levels.. But what about my field tests through out the season??

Your thoughts as always much appreciated.

Regards

Mark
 
mites multiply exponentially - unless you are planning on a proactive and responsible TF regime (rather than just not bothering because it's cold out :)) Treat them. The less you have now, less compromise to your winter bees, less mites come spring.
 
mites multiply exponentially - unless you are planning on a proactive and responsible TF regime (rather than just not bothering because it's cold out :)) Treat them. The less you have now, less compromise to your winter bees, less mites come spring.
Hi emyr, the plan between us is to have a proactive TF schedule, I'm hoping in the new year for me and Mike to travel up to North Wales to forward our knowledge on how the association up there are having such good results.

As I go forward in becoming a commercial beekeeper.. Im hoping I can find a balance between TF and my business but at present have my concerns.. So as I've been doing from the start slowly.. Slowly.. Nicely nice.

Im bed riden, and milling over things figures, plans etc for the future, not such a bad thing.


How have you found mite levels to be in your colonys emyr?

Just to add I will asses all in 30 days, there's no need to treat if you don't need to.

We need to get away from just treating because Joe blogs said to.
New beekeepers need to get trained and shown how to do excelerated might drops. I know there's recommendations from bee base bbka, links videos etc.
But it's not enough.
If covid hadn't put its ugly head in the picture.. I had planned to use one of my apiarys for training and was going to offer new or old beeks to come for meetings here of my own back forget about the association.
Hopefully I'm able to do this at some point in the future.

Cheers

Mark
 
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How have you found mite levels to be in your colonys emyr?
Not worrying - I never check because I have confidence in my treatment regime, and I keep a close eye on those apiaries which have had issues in the past due to leavitalone beekeepers in the vicinity.
 
Not worrying - I never check because I have confidence in my treatment regime, and I keep a close eye on those apiaries which have had issues in the past due to leavitalone beekeepers in the vicinity.


leavitalone beekeepers in the vicinity.
In what way? they don't perform any manipulations regarding swarm prevention .
Don't check for varroa OBVIOUSLY! :banghead:
Theres leave alone! and there's thoughs who really care about there bees and want to give them the care they deserve.
 
CGF wrote"I'm wondering why there has been so many queen's having brood breaks, some times more than a brood cycle.. My theory is the lack of forage at the end of the summer"


I don't think more colonies than usual took a brood break in my apiary out located on a farm. I think the lack of forage (not much in late august in the countryside near the apiary other than a bit of ragwort) may indeed be a factor there in initiating a brood break but one of my colonies in my back garden also took a complete brood cycle break starting in late august and only came back into lay last week while one next to it did not and here forage has been good and in fact consistently so that I have never had to feed the garden bees for winter since 1975 and they never fill less than 4 supers each year and often manage one or two more in contrast to the outapairy where colonies fill only three supers on average and most need feeding up for winter
 
leavitalone beekeepers in the vicinity.
In what way? they don't perform any manipulations regarding swarm prevention .
Don't check for varroa OBVIOUSLY! :banghead:
Theres leave alone! and there's thoughs who really care about there bees and want to give them the care they deserve.
read what I said, maybe you'd see better if you got off that high horse someone has given you.
They do very little of anything, don't treat (or at least don't treat properly), their hives are a mess, frames so old that a thorough inspection was a chore, and as the previous SBI told me in confidene, if he had the powers he would have put the lot on a bonfire.
There is a big difference between being proactively treatment free and doing bugger all.
 
I'm wondering why there has been so many queen's having brood breaks,
No different to any other year. most of my colonies take a brood break August/September time, nothing to do with forage availability, it's what they do
 
leavitalone beekeepers in the vicinity.
In what way? they don't perform any manipulations regarding swarm prevention .
Don't check for varroa OBVIOUSLY! :banghead:
Theres leave alone! and there's thoughs who really care about there bees and want to give them the care they deserve.
I have a few around here.
Hives are left to their own devices most of the year.
I have two smallholder friends who were asked if a few hives could be placed in the corner of a field. They were put there with three supers and visited just once in the year to take the supers away. Swarmed all over the place, not inspected, not treated. They lasted two seasons before they were removed by request.
These are just the ones I know about. Further up the valley there are hives hidden away in a copse that I suspect are under the same “management”
 
No different to any other year. most of my colonies take a brood break August/September time, nothing to do with forage availability, it's what they do
Maybe I've just noticed it more.
High horse?? I don't profess to be on a pedi stool! no one has given me reason to feel like I'm so.
Im just a very pationate person when it comes to my bees.
Infact I know very little in the grand scheme of things.
 
I have a few around here.
Hives are left to their own devices most of the year.
I have two smallholder friends who were asked if a few hives could be placed in the corner of a field. They were put there with three supers and visited just once in the year to take the supers away. Swarmed all over the place, not inspected, not treated. They lasted two seasons before they were removed by request.
These are just the ones I know about. Further up the valley there are hives hidden away in a copse that I suspect are under the same “management”
As you know dani, earlier in the season I moved two colonys from a cider farm, they had been left for I was told two seasons, they had been there more than that colony 1 were a single brood with two supers colony 2 were a 14x12 with one super.

Both have been requeened/ treated and had a Bailey.
Colony 1 is now a double brood colony
And very strong.
Colony 2 are also a strong colony on 14x12 frames.
Colony 1 Amm Queen.
Colony 2 local Italian Queen.
IMG_20200826_063225.jpg
Picture taken in July.

All old frames and boxes were put on the fire.
 
And a good job you made of it.
My post was to illustrate that colonies like that are dotted around.
Get yourself round here, Mark and spread the love.
 
And a good job you made of it.
My post was to illustrate that colonies like that are dotted around.
Get yourself round here, Mark and spread the love.
Your stewarding enough in your area dani ;) I wouldn't want to spoil the party.
 
I'm interested in knowing how other associations have got on treating for varroa this summer/autumn?
Lbka are not treating at all because might loads have been bellow recommended levels to treat. This is after multiple tests.
Im also finding that my mite levels on 35 colonys are also very low 18 colonys are 60% below recommended levels to treat
After I did an excelerated might drop using sublimation and field tests through out the season.
I plan to do another excelerated drop in 30 days on the 18 colonys.

Im now TF at one apiary and I'm using my stock that has had the lowest rate of might drop to study and assess..

I wanted to add that Mike Saunders at Lbka is TF with some colonys,
And I know that there is some association members collectively following suite with colonys that have had low mite levels.

Colonys have been strong this season.. I'm wondering why there has been so many queen's having brood breaks, some times more than a brood cycle.. My theory is the lack of forage at the end of the summer which has maybe contributed to the low varroa levels.. But what about my field tests through out the season??

Your thoughts as always much appreciated.

Regards

Mark
I'm intrigued that you use sublimation to accelerate mite drop but still consider you're treatment free?
 
(Im now TF at one apiary and I'm using my stock that has had the lowest rate of might drop to study and assess..)
This apiary haven't had treatments since??
I should of been more percific sorry John.
Interesting... Is this thread about something else I've asked?
Bugger this I'll just ask my stupid questions elsewhere!

Don't mention TF again :calmdown:
 
read what I said, maybe you'd see better if you got off that high horse someone has given you.
They do very little of anything, don't treat (or at least don't treat properly), their hives are a mess, frames so old that a thorough inspection was a chore, and as the previous SBI told me in confidene, if he had the powers he would have put the lot on a bonfire.
There is a big difference between being proactively treatment free and doing bugger all.
I took a hive from a beek of 40 years in May. I had to burn every single frame. Stupidly took it into my apiary without inspecting and now I have varroa. Previously was Varroa free.
His words were “ he never inspects the brood chamber, just lets the bee’s get on with it “
Big lesson learned.
 
I don't think I've of our hives would have survived without treatment, as I new beekeeper and wet behind the ears I thought we may be varroa free, what a shock to find three inspections of the inspection board using apiguard of in excess of 350 each time. Do you think we should oxalic acid around christmas as the numbers as so high?
 

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