Inspection during Apiguard treatment

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Joined
Aug 4, 2009
Messages
336
Reaction score
2
Location
Bracknell. UK
Hive Type
Langstroth
Number of Hives
16 spread across 4 apiaries
Okay I need some advice...

My single colony is a captured cast, captured at the beginning of July. At that point I had 1 drawn super (10 frames old comb) and 10 brand new undrawn brood frames.

They were initially slow to draw any of the comb, and as pretty much all sources of nectar around us vanished in the 2nd week of August I've been feeding since ( 2L 1:1 per week), which has kept them going, and with a lot of effort I'd managed to get them to draw 6 frames of the brood by the 31st August when I did an inspection and added the first try of Apiguard. At this point they had 2 frames of stores in the super (1 capped) and 1 frame uncapped in the brood box. There were 2.5 frames capped brood in the super and 2.5 frames in the brood box.

Due to time constraints the second tray went in on the 11th September - not quite 14 days I know. I didn't do a full inspection at this point as I moved them from a solid to a varroa floor (with the insert in), and the weather wasn't that great. Since I started the Apiguard they've had 2L 1:1 on the 31st and the 11th, and 2L 2:1 on the 18th and 24th(yesterday)

Very close to me, there is a massive amount of ivy that has just come into flower and they're bringing in pollen, and I assume nectar, by the bucket load.

I could really do with checking to see how much room they've got. Is it advisable to do an inspection tomorrow? The next time I could do it would be next Friday afternoon.

As an ancillary question if they are short of space, and I add a frame or 2 of undrawn comb (all I have available) will they draw it and use it?
 
How long do you have to treat with Apiguard? I know we have to treat for 4 weeks and have been told not to disturb them while it's in.
 
The first tray 14 days, the second tray ... well there's conflicting advice some say 14 days, some say 28 days..
Hence my dilema.
 
have been told not to disturb them while it's in.

They say the second tray until finished.

Question: How do you know when it is finished, without checking?

RAB
 
have been told not to disturb them while it's in.

They say the second tray until finished.

Question: How do you know when it is finished, without checking?

RAB

If you have a quilt on you can peek without disturbing them.
Cazza
 
Mine never finished the tray - many bees ignore the trays, so it may be there forever. I was told tray in - 2 weeks later new tray in 2 weeks later all trays out.
 
Ours are strips. We are using Apilife Var. I was just going to wait until our mentor came down to check after treating then start feeding if needed. If it was me though I'd give it 14 days at least. Is that not right? 28 days in total.
 
I asked my local apiarist a similar question just today and he said tray 1 = two weeks, if it's not finished when you put in tray two turn the first tray upside down so now you have two trays in there.
If after a further two weeks the trays are not empty, remove the contents and scrape this directly onto the frame tops and remove the trays.
If drop is still high he says to put on a third tray for two weeks.

My local bee inspector told me that this guy was the best and to do exactly what he tells me so I guess that's what I'll be doing.
Tara.
 
Okay did the Inspection.. Nice temper no problems

Apiguard only half gone so left in...
Feed I put in on Friday untouched ... guess they're all busy working the ivy
Super had 5 frames capped stores, 2 nearly full, and 3 being filled
Brood box had 2 frames half capped stores, one of which was being filled on the other side, and one of which also had about 1/3 capped brood. 2 other frames had predominately capped brood plus some larva.
Put in a dummy and another frame in place of the insulator frame I'd made and put in a few weeks ago.
Looks like they're pretty much set to go through the winter.
 

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