Late Varroa Treatment Due to Bereavement - Help!

[Erichalfbee]

As you know I am a fan of OAV.
But if you are a beginner you are having to face three maybe four treatments. This is by way of an emergency and strips are ideal. Put in wait a few weeks take out
Apivar will not kill your queen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Anyone has experience of this?

Thank you all for the comments

Jimmys mum post 16
Pm her?

 

[stu.uk]

OK so you are fairly close to Wragby and a drive to Thornes is manageable. However i note you only joined the forum in spring and this topic seems to be your first foray into activity. You also show nil hives so judging by your questions are you a novice or do you have any beekeeping knowledge or experience? Knowing what you might be capable of handling will enable us to couch answers better.
You might like to contact Lincolnshire Beekeepers to ask if they have someone who can help with hands on assistance, particularly if they practice sublimation treatment.

Evening,

I have been a silent observer up until now. I have a few hives and only started this year - I was sold aggressive Bees in 14 x 12! Not a pleasant year, however a bit of re-queening later and recovering from 2 x swarms and a drone layer I think I am now doing ok! No followers, no aggression, good stores and decent colonies for the winter (I believe!) My hives have been fully treated with Thymovar and have feed on still.

I was asking as this is my first winter and sadly if I don't attempt to treat and relocate these hives they may not last the winter. They have plenty of stores from what i'm led to believe but haven't had a treatment.

I was looking for something to prevent the inevitable Varroa count increasing before I can get assistance/instruction on sublimation.

I am part of Market Rasen and will be having a chat about it tomorrow night.

As you know I am a fan of OAV.
But if you are a beginner you are having to face three maybe four treatments. This is by way of an emergency and strips are ideal. Put in wait a few weeks take out
Apivar will not kill your queen.

I think this, and sublimation may be the route I go down - seems it is now licensed for the UK.

Jimmys mum post 16
Pm her?

May be my next step after tomorrow.

 

[MuswellMetro]

nothing wrong with using a once off contact varroacide like Bayvarol or Apistan pyretheroid, so long as last use was more than three years ago

you will kill 50% even with resistance to pytheroid which is unlikely if they have use a thymol for three years or more and kill rate is likely to be in high 80s to 90s%

i would reserve aptitraz 500 or apivar for a silver bullet on heavy infested colonies as it develops resistance as fast as apistan

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

sadly if I don't attempt to treat and relocate these hives they may not last the winter. They have plenty of stores from what i'm led to believe but haven't had a treatment.

[Sublimation] May be my next step after tomorrow.

We are whipping up a storm here. Unless you have good reason to believe there is a very heavy mite load (which seems not to be the case generally this year as far as I can tell) and/or (related) they have not been properly cared for, the colonies are not going to die for one missed treatment. And please think of the other effects of acaricides; there is a reason people tend to use other treatments and it is not just resistance (or shouldn't be).

Sublimation is probably your best way forward now, I agree. It'll also give you a good comparator to other treatments. Mine is gathering dust this autumn, it has to be said, but I am south of you and three weeks ahead on Apiguard.

 

[beeno]

Unless you have good reason to believe there is a very heavy mite load (which seems not to be the case generally this year as far as I can tell) and/or (related) they have not been properly cared for, the colonies are not going to die for one missed treatment.
Sublimation is probably your best way forward now, I agree. It'll also give you a good comparator to other treatments.

As has been said before varroa drop is a very unreliable method of judging the level of infestation in a hive. You can prove that you have a heavy infestation and need to treat, but not that you don't. I had my heaviest varroa load this year, but did not treat with OA at Christmas as I believed I had brood all year. Did have to treat one in spring though. I would not like to tell anyone that their colonies would not die from one missed treatment and especially the autumn treatment. I agree sublimation or Apistan.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

especially the autumn treatment.

Another way of looking at this is to accept that the autumn treatment has already been missed and we are really best talking about winter OA sorry Apibioxal. Even for those of us who see a mid-Sept brood break (and I did not this year) we are nearly a full brood cycle beyond that.

 

[beeno]

Evening,

I have been a silent observer up until now. I have a few hives and only started this year - I was sold aggressive Bees in 14 x 12! Not a pleasant year, however a bit of re-queening later and recovering from 2 x swarms and a drone layer I think I am now doing ok! No followers, no aggression, good stores and decent colonies for the winter (I believe!) My hives have been fully treated with Thymovar and have feed on still.

I was asking as this is my first winter and sadly if I don't attempt to treat and relocate these hives they may not last the winter. They have plenty of stores from what i'm led to believe but haven't had a treatment.

I was looking for something to prevent the inevitable Varroa count increasing before I can get assistance/instruction on sublimation.

I am part of Market Rasen and will be having a chat about it tomorrow night.



I think this, and sublimation may be the route I go down - seems it is now licensed for the UK.



May be my next step after tomorrow.

Hi Stu, Well done for getting through your Baptism of Fire and still being in fine mettle. Apistan strips is another possibility as they are not so temperature dependent, hanging down into the brood nest, and readily available. I am sure your association will lead you in the right direction and give practical help with sublimation if that is the way you go. Good luck with these hives and good man for picking up the batten and running with it.

 

[Millet]

As has been said before varroa drop is a very unreliable method of judging the level of infestation in a hive. You can prove that you have a heavy infestation and need to treat, but not that you don't. I had my heaviest varroa load this year, but did not treat with OA at Christmas as I believed I had brood all year. Did have to treat one in spring though. I would not like to tell anyone that their colonies would not die from one missed treatment and especially the autumn treatment. I agree sublimation or Apistan.

True, i put an inspection tray in for five days four weeks ago and there was around twelve Varroa on the tray, after each of the three Vape treatments i have done upto now they has been over 200 varroa on the tray after each treatment.

 

[stu.uk]

We are whipping up a storm here. Unless you have good reason to believe there is a very heavy mite load (which seems not to be the case generally this year as far as I can tell) and/or (related) they have not been properly cared for, the colonies are not going to die for one missed treatment. And please think of the other effects of acaricides; there is a reason people tend to use other treatments and it is not just resistance (or shouldn't be).

Sublimation is probably your best way forward now, I agree. It'll also give you a good comparator to other treatments. Mine is gathering dust this autumn, it has to be said, but I am south of you and three weeks ahead on Apiguard.

Good to stir up a storm sometimes - especially if it a constructive one. I believe they were well looked after and were definately treated in the spring with, possibly Thymovar, I think you and many others may be right with the sublimation from the reading I have been doing.

I have been informed that they have solid floors in them at the minute too.

Hi Stu, Well done for getting through your Baptism of Fire and still being in fine mettle. Apistan strips is another possibility as they are not so temperature dependent, hanging down into the brood nest, and readily available. I am sure your association will lead you in the right direction and give practical help with sublimation if that is the way you go. Good luck with these hives and good man for picking up the batten and running with it.

Thank you, not the best year. I think I did everything you shouldn't and wouldn't want to in your first season! Well in a month the house is sold and dread to think what would have happened to them if I hadn't.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

were definately treated in the spring with, possibly Thymovar, I think you and many others may be right with the sublimation from the reading I have been doing.

Great. On that basis I would write off the autumn treatment and hunt for a brood break in mid-Dec if the conditions suggest it. (We can talk about "hunt"... Complicated by solid floors). To avoid true dependence on a brood break, I would probably just do the 3x5 days routine but maybe you can do better.

Re your comments on your year: you seem like someone who knows how to learn; we all make mistakes. It's all good: again, well done.