Lows colonies of bees

[Gandalf]

Hello. My name is Paweł. I live in the Poland and I'm beekeeper. I would like ask, how look situation with bees in the winter in the UK?
In Poland, many beekeepers complain, that swarms of bees die, because is big intensity belt Varroa Destructor. Unfortunately, many beginner, young beekeepers bad compose slots on autumn. Although bees have big food - sugar, then bees can't go on the other frames, because they stop on the light or empty honeycomb and they fall dead.
Please reply how look situation in the UK.
Regards from the cold Poland,
Paweł

 

[Firegazer]

Welcome, Paweł!

So far, I still have 2 colonies through this Winter. The weather has been cold and damp (rain and fog) and the bees haven't really come out yet this year.

I treated them with Apiguard for the Varroa in September and they both seem OK so far.

FG

 

[Gandalf]

Re.

Hello, thank you for your prompt response. Hmmm... Apiguard is based on thymol. In Poland we afraid to use thymol. We have "Api Live Var", but after the use this, bees suffocate, die, or flee. Nobody can't apply it well. When applying to open two outlets give nothing. Bees wings ventilating, queens fall, and the maggot die. This is a dangerous substance. Bees in the hive are stuffy. We do not know how it happens, each applied according to instructions. We use acid: lactic acid, formic acid and oxalic acid,
Beevital Hive Clean, Amitraz, Baywarol, Flumethrin. Everything is not effective. Is in the UK trouble CCD now (autumn, previous summer)?

 

[oliver90owner]

Welcome to the forum Gandalf.

I would have thought the problems with thymol would be similar to the use of formic acid.

The amount and rate of evaporation (concentration of the chemical in the hive) being the two main problems, with high temperatures causing the effects you experience.

We in the UK do not get many problems with apiguard, but a situation was documented here, on the forum, last summer, but we heard nothing of the outcome.

Regards, RAB

 

[tonybloke]

welcome to the best beekeeping forum !

I used apiguard in late august,and also fed bees at same time with 2.1 sugar /water syrup.
my 3 colonies seem to be OK so far this winter.
do you practice drone-comb culling in Poland to reduce the varroa numbers?

Tony

 

[wightbees]

I have only used thymol treatment and at the moment all 4 hives have started to fly.

3 hives on Open mesh floors
1 hive solid floor

 

[MuswellMetro]

if thymol or apilife var is causing bees to leave, then it may be the temperature inside the hive causing to much vapour

but i have had no trouble with thymol based products from 25c to 10c outside midday temperatures

what month of year and average temperature is the weather when the thymol is put your polish hives

so far no CCD near me, out of 34 hives the BKA has lost two so far this year from starvation /stranded on frames and two by woodpecker

 

[Hombre]

I see around 300 colonies and for the most part, they are doing just fine with no problems at all.

They were all treated with Apiguard which is 8mg thymol per dose in a release gel; two dozes two weeks apart. Thymol appears not to be a significant problem in the UK.

 

[Ely]

Are you Gandalf the grey or Gandalf the white? How do you you fit your beard underneath the veil? Do the bees get tangled in it? Do you supply mead to the prancing pony in Bree? Welcome

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had one colony that was particularly "sensitive"
I used Apilife Var and they spent most of the time bearded on the outside of the box not even going in at night.
I opened up the floor half way and they were alright.

 

[Heather]

I used Apilife Var late August then Oxalic trickle in December. All colonies alive and well. Low varroa drop in December- so seems Apilife Var did the work.

With the Apilife Var- some people didn't read the instructions well (they were not very clear) and used both strips so giving too much treatment - and bees died. It is also a difficult one to handle as so brittle-

 

[Teemore]

I only have two colonies at present but have experience working with 16 other colonies: all were fed thymolated syrup going into September and were treated with ApiLife Var. Outside temperatures in Northern Ireland at the time of treatment were probably in the low to mid teens. My observations were that the bees bearded outside the hive for perhaps an hour after application of ApiLife Var and then they got back to their combined work of foraging on ivy and removing the ApiLife Var delivery medium. These colonies were all treated with Oxalic acid by sublimation in December. So far all colonies are showing signs of life.........
Another contact has over 40 hives and a number of Nucs and these were all treated with ApiLife Var - it was felt that oxalic treatment was not needed. To date they have only lost one Nuc and that was a late July cast which they decided to see if they could overwinter successfully.

 

[Gandalf]

Good morning. Thank you for your reply. I didn’t expect such a large discussion

„oliver90owner”
So, the temperature was too high to cause overheating in the hive. About formic acide wasn’t any reports.

“tonybloke”
We used chemicals and cutting out drone maggot, yes.

“wightbees”
I see, that thymol is popular substance, that you were using. In the Poland, during the thaw, bees also flew up.
“Muswell Metro”
You are very nice and hospitable. Many beekeepers combine with this Api Live Var. All afraid use this. In the Poland we fed with tits, woodpeckers away from the apiary.
“Hombre”
Interesting, in the Poland we use only amitraz or acids.
“Ely”
Hahaha
I haven’t long and white beard
“Erichalfbee”
I am very curious about what you write. We all cry that the life of bees. I also run beekeeping forum, I’m administrator and my friend used the Apilive Var on one family. Once again broke the plate in half. He opened two outlets, pulled out all the trabeculae, assured a high ventilation. Bees wings waved, went with her mother on the wall of the hive at night, but unfortunately did not survive. Perhaps that we have wrong our hives incapable of such treatments.

“Heather”
All argue that reading instruction. There are complaints to the manufacturer ApiLife Var.. Do you flush or evaporate, the oxalic acid?
At the picture is equipment for the evaporation of oxalic acid. My friend made it.

“Teemore”
Thank you for description. Unfortunately, in Poland one treatment doesn’t help. We must use few treatment to varroa died.

More and more bees are killed. We suspect the chemicals used in agriculture. In Poland, farmers used a lot chemicals pesticides, herbicides to growing. We fear that human intervention is also affected. Continuous insemination, breeds can lead to a weakening of the internal structure of tissues in bees.

Thank you again for your warm welcome and response. I read your forum, and sometimes write something, such as in Poland cure various diseases. Greetings from Polish beekeepers, Paul – Paweł

 

[drstitson]

ALV is thymol based!!!!

Apilife VAR is composed of a vermiculite tablet 5 x 9 x 1 cm (porous ceramic sponge), impregnated with a mixture of thymol (76%), eucalyptol (16.4%), methol (3.8%) and camphor (3.8%).