- Joined
- Sep 7, 2013
- Messages
- 332
- Reaction score
- 307
- Location
- Loughborough
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 11
Hi all,
With most of my bees I have been 'on it' this year, with Formic Pro (and formic acid delivered via a Nassenheider Professional) being administered late August - having moved to formic as my autumn 'treatment of choice' from thymol (either Apiguard or Apilife VAR). No worries there.
However, I have a couple of colonies at another location where I had taken my eye off the ball, and where I chose instead - and during September, so fairly late - to use some remaining stocks of Apilife VAR (still in date, just).
Mite drops were high, so I was presuming the treatment to have been effective. However, something has been niggling me; probably a combination of the dodgy September weather, the impending expiry of the product, but also due to a drop off in the activity at the entrance of one of the two hives.
So I went in yesterday, and did a quick alcohol wash.
In going into the brood nest to do this, I noted that both seemed to be lacking in open brood. That said, both were Q+ at last inspection. Good young Queens, too, so I have little worry there. I am presuming both the time of year and the thymol treatment have resulted in them going off lay.
Anyway, the results of the alcohol wash showed an 11% and a 13% infestation respectively. Hmmmmmmm.
The crux of my question is:
1) Am I right to be horrified by these numbers?
2) What would people suggest in relation to consequences (if I just cross my fingers), and remedial actions?
I am dead against miticides, so e.g. Apivar is out of the question for me. One option I have is to quickly bang a couple of Formic Pro on (it being just still within the temperature envelope), but feel I might be better served borrowing the Association's Varrox Eddy, and blasting with oxalic - especially given the lack of brood.
Thoughts, please!
With most of my bees I have been 'on it' this year, with Formic Pro (and formic acid delivered via a Nassenheider Professional) being administered late August - having moved to formic as my autumn 'treatment of choice' from thymol (either Apiguard or Apilife VAR). No worries there.
However, I have a couple of colonies at another location where I had taken my eye off the ball, and where I chose instead - and during September, so fairly late - to use some remaining stocks of Apilife VAR (still in date, just).
Mite drops were high, so I was presuming the treatment to have been effective. However, something has been niggling me; probably a combination of the dodgy September weather, the impending expiry of the product, but also due to a drop off in the activity at the entrance of one of the two hives.
So I went in yesterday, and did a quick alcohol wash.
In going into the brood nest to do this, I noted that both seemed to be lacking in open brood. That said, both were Q+ at last inspection. Good young Queens, too, so I have little worry there. I am presuming both the time of year and the thymol treatment have resulted in them going off lay.
Anyway, the results of the alcohol wash showed an 11% and a 13% infestation respectively. Hmmmmmmm.
The crux of my question is:
1) Am I right to be horrified by these numbers?
2) What would people suggest in relation to consequences (if I just cross my fingers), and remedial actions?
I am dead against miticides, so e.g. Apivar is out of the question for me. One option I have is to quickly bang a couple of Formic Pro on (it being just still within the temperature envelope), but feel I might be better served borrowing the Association's Varrox Eddy, and blasting with oxalic - especially given the lack of brood.
Thoughts, please!
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