Need to treat for Varroa?

[Skyhook]

PS Where can you buy Hivemakers pads or is that a homemade thing?

It's a homemade thing. The recipe is on the site somewhere if you want to search, but as far as I can make out it's really worthwhile if you've got a lot of hives, but not for one or two. Apiguard or apilife var.

 

[rae]

Icing sugar can help dislodge mites on adult bees. The issue is that most mites are on brood within cells. Icing sugar represents an isoltaed treatment event rather than a sustained treatment period that deals with newly emerged bees and any associated mite loadings. You need to captiure several brood cycles, unless you are icing every day for a treatment period - a month?????? you cant acheive this

Agree entirely. My suggestion to give them a dusting was to provoke a mite drop so that you got a few on the board (if you had a reasonable level of infestation). If you get mites, then whack 'em with Apiguard. If you've seen no mites at all, and you dust, and still see no mites, then I'd assume your mite load is very low.

 

[MuswellMetro]

It's a homemade thing. The recipe is on the site somewhere if you want to search, but as far as I can make out it's really worthwhile if you've got a lot of hives, but not for one or two. Apiguard or apilife var.

apilife Var has been critisised in the USA as in effective, but i think it is just more temperature dependend than apiguard

i use apiguard or thymol patties http://hertsbees.squarespace.com/tips/diseases/thymol-treatment-recipe.html

the patties seem to give a higher drop anecdotally

also at this late stage insulate above the crown board to keep the thymol warm

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

It's a homemade thing. The recipe is on the site somewhere if you want to search

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1840

 

[jwestlake]

Apivar

There is a company in manchester that has the import certificate to bring Apivar over from France - Animal Medical Centre, 511 Wilbraham Road, chorlton, Manchester M21 0UB 01618813329 contact name Julie, they also keep bee's

 

[Brosville]

 

[malawi2854]

As this thread has been revived - I thought I would post a quick update - I've now been treating with ApiGuard for 3 weeks, and still not a single trace of a varroa mite anywhere on the inspection board... although I do feel better for having done it, regardless!

 

[MuswellMetro]

As this thread has been revived - I thought I would post a quick update - I've now been treating with ApiGuard for 3 weeks, and still not a single trace of a varroa mite anywhere on the inspection board... although I do feel better for having done it, regardless!

you should have gone to spec savers , joking aside that's great, my hospital case hive ,a swarm of carnolian bees, has dropped 3500+,

 

[Rosti]

my hospital case hive ,a swarm of carnolian bees, has dropped 3500+,

Crikey MM! Just how many bees is each mite carrying?