Beevital Hive Clean

[New Bee 2]

Just wondering if anyone had tried this .. I have a colony that for several good reasons at the time didn't get treated last autumn. They're now in full production but I suspect that a varroa treatment wouldn't do any harm judging from the floor tray. I don't want to take the super off .. so I guess its icing sugar or this 'Hive Clean' .. all suggestions welcome though

 

[Cazza]

Hi New Bee 2

We have discussed this before with mixed opinions. (No change there then.)

Personally I like it and use it at this time of year. It certainly increases the mite count dramatically if the mites are there.

Cazza

 

[New Bee 2]

Thanks Cazza - so no detrimental effects on your honey then?

 

[CB008]

I took in a swarm as a newbie last May and realised late in the day that it was riddled with varroa. I was soon getting Deformed wing virus which got worse and worse. I tried icing sugar which did not do the trick and then gave weekly and copius amounts of hiveclean. This knocked down loads of varroa each time but does not, of course, deal with that left in the sealed brood. It took two treatmenst of Apiguard, one after the other, and then lots of oxalic to finally cure my problem. I am convinced that it was only hiveclean that saved my precious colony to which I was emotionally attached.

 

[Cazza]

Thanks Cazza - so no detrimental effects on your honey then?

I haven't used it after supering so I can't really comment. I'm not chucking on gallons of the stuff willy nilly!
C

 

[Max]

Hive Clean

It works well if you treat every 3 days, 5 times in total. it will not eradicate the varroa, but it certainly does help and reduce the count this time of year.

Do not apply Hiveclean when the supers are on as it could taint the honey.

I tend to use Hiveclean through out the year (before the supers and in between extraction) then the usual Apiguard and if the buggers are still a problem Oxalic Acid.

 

[New Bee 2]

Thanks for all of your helpful advice

 

[nelletap]

I can't claim to be as illustrious and knowledgeable as some of the others on here. I read about Hiveclean and then searched you tube for a useful video that showed exactly how to apply it (I like books but find visual resources more memorable). My take was that for a bad case of varroa other methods will need to be employed but that if you have taken the recommended steps hive clean can be a useful accessory either when you don't want to interrupt honey flow or laying or when you want to knock back the problem pending a later treatment, or when you want to check whether there is a problem that needs a more severe treatment.
I felt that comments here more or less supported this view.

 

[xgeordie]

It works well if you treat every 3 days, 5 times in total. it will not eradicate the varroa, but it certainly does help and reduce the count this time of year.

Do not apply Hiveclean when the supers are on as it could taint the honey.

I tend to use Hiveclean through out the year (before the supers and in between extraction) then the usual Apiguard and if the buggers are still a problem Oxalic Acid.

It is recommended to treat on days 1, 6 and 13 if you have a high mite count, but it is claimed that you cannot overdose.

Manufacturers also claim it does not taint the honey.