Has Apiguard killed my queen?

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Silly_Bee

New Bee
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
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20
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Location
Central London
Hive Type
WBC
Number of Hives
1
Applied Apiguard on 15 August, to a newish colony (no supers).

The girls didn't like it at all...for several days afterwards they were carrying dead brood from the hive, and at one point seemed to be threatening to swarm. A quick look inside the hive a few days later (not touching the frames) showed the workers eating the Apiguard and disposing of it away from the hive.

Today I did a proper inspection. Apiguard tin completely empty, so I removed it. Bees much calmer, and there in considerable number. But...no sign of uncapped brood, no sign of eggs, and no sign of Matilda (though she might be hiding...she's done that before).

Any idea of what might be going on, folks?
 
sometimes the whiff of apiguard can reduce queen laying or cause her to stop. I've never experienced a queen being killed by apiguard, but have had one or two stop laying for the first week or so when applied.
 
Although I have not experienced it, it is common that the queen can stop laying during Thymol treatments.
 
Yes it normally puts the queen off laying but make sure you put the second treatment on as well.
 
In my first season the apiguard stopped my queen from laying and workers started to uncap sealed brood. I panicked at this thinking I had EFB. I called in an inspector who reassured me.
 
you would have been better to follow the Apiguard instruction and reduce the dose to 50% becasue the day time temperature was above 25c... immediately after you put your apiguard on london was above 30c

the instrictions of the packet is rather lacking in content but the apiguard web site contaions a lot more information

see FAQ Vita Apiquard attached
 
Not had too many problems with Apiguard except with a nucleus that threw loads of brood out despite only 50% dose. However with Api lif var I lost a queen a couple of years ago (they threw her body out within hours of application). Could be just co-incidence
 
Thanks for these responses, MM and others. Yes, it would have been helpful if the instructions with the Apiguard had been more comprehensive. I'd only have given them a half dose this time. I suppose we should have realised something was amiss when we saw workers disposing of dead brood.

I take some comfort from the fact that there are still lots of bees in the hive, and they seem to be quite a contented lot...presumably under the influence of a still living queen. I'll have another look this coming thursday, and see if I can spot her this time.
 

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