Deformed wing virus? What to do.

[Erichalfbee]

You are supposed to do the full 4 week treatment of apiguard otherwise there is no point, as you don't get all/most of the mites.


Craig

UNLESS there is no capped brood then one should be sufficient, shirley?

 

[itma]

Oxalic trickling is really no big deal.
Not something to be avoided. Don't look for excuses.
Its cheap, effective and no great upset to the bees.
Buying a 2-hive bottle of readymix for £3 takes out any question of harm to yourself. Undamaged rubber gloves are all you need for using a Trickle2 dispenser bottle.

I'd suggest that you consider doing an Oxalic trickle as soon as the colony is essentially broodless - a few weeks after it gets cold. Maybe early December. Broodless (no capped brood) is the important thing, not the date.

With a cut-short treatment with Apiguard, leaving a skewed varroa age distribution, you need to average the drop counts over rather a long time to get a plausible average. And to get accurate counts in the presence of earwigs, etc, you need to check the board often - very often - and use a sticky board to deter the scavengers.

But I'd suggest a varroa 'reset' with Oxalic, as soon as practically possible, rather than fussing over whether or not it was truly essential.

 

[REDWOOD]

Oxalic trickling is really no big deal.
Not something to be avoided. Don't look for excuses.
Its cheap, effective and no great upset to the bees.
Buying a 2-hive bottle of readymix for £3 takes out any question of harm to yourself. Undamaged rubber gloves are all you need for using a Trickle2 dispenser bottle.

I'd suggest that you consider doing an Oxalic trickle as soon as the colony is essentially broodless - a few weeks after it gets cold. Maybe early December. Broodless (no capped brood) is the important thing, not the date.

With a cut-short treatment with Apiguard, leaving a skewed varroa age distribution, you need to average the drop counts over rather a long time to get a plausible average. And to get accurate counts in the presence of earwigs, etc, you need to check the board often - very often - and use a sticky board to deter the scavengers.

But I'd suggest a varroa 'reset' with Oxalic, as soon as practically possible, rather than fussing over whether or not it was truly essential.

Well said

 

[VEG]

UNLESS there is no capped brood then one should be sufficient, shirley?

Highly unlikely there were no capped brood when they applied the one tray of apiguard


Craig

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Again, thanks all; most helpful. Oxalic it is, so here's hoping for a cold snap at some point (we've had this discussion elsewhere). Or I may "a/c" the hive. Cheers and good luck.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Highly unlikely there were no capped brood when they applied the one tray of apiguard


Craig

I've spotted this very thing posted here though it has never happened to me.
Here's one
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26556&highlight=capped+brood

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

yes, but I think that thread 'inspired' a lot of others to think they were going to be broodless and thus cut their treatments short

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

yes, but I think that thread 'inspired' a lot of others to think they were going to be broodless and thus cut their treatments short

I cut short based on low drop, not a possible brood break; it was the brood break I was worried about. Had I known the season would have run into November, I would have worried less.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I cut short based on low drop, not a possible brood break; it was the brood break I was worried about..

Exactly I think discussions on here may have swayed you a little. Unless there's other factors involved I wouldn't worry about a possible brood break - it doesn't always happen, and a lot of queens go off lay at that time of year Apiguard or not. Anyway, it's a learning point no great harm done I think but I would make winter OA a definite not a possible this year.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Exactly I think discussions on here may have swayed you a little. Unless there's other factors involved I wouldn't worry about a possible brood break - it doesn't always happen, and a lot of queens go off lay at that time of year Apiguard or not. Anyway, it's a learning point no great harm done I think but I would make winter OA a definite not a possible this year.

Top advice all round, thanks.