Gardenbees
Field Bee
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2010
- Messages
- 568
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Gloucestershire
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 3
I wasn't happy with the varroa situation this autumn - despite their usual treatment, in good weather, there was still a small mite count afterwards. So, for the first time at this apiary I decided to do an oxalic acid treatment as well. I'm not generally keen, but don't want the bees to have a really lousy spring if I can avoid it. For the first time in a while they stayed indoors today in a proper cluster, so I treated them this morning.
I diluted the 6% OA solution from Th*rnes, which is a bit fierce on its own, down to about 4% by adding some extra tepid syrup. One colony pinged me angrily, the other just sat and muttered without reacting. NB I got a syringe from the local veterinary hospital - 76p, so a better deal than most apiary suppliers!
The treatment was straightforward enough, but I was surprised at the sheer number of bees. Both hives appear to be heavy with stores, and when I shone a torch through the polycarbonate crown boards there was a staggering amount of bees for the time of year. Every seam was stuffed with them in both hives. They must have been breeding up until very recently, and also collecting a significant amount of food.
I felt a slight embarrasment of riches, looking at them, because whilst it's nice to have a full, well-supplied hive it doesn't bode particularly well for them if conditions deteriorate suddenly. They could eat themselves out of house and home very rapidly. Or, we could have another explosive spring buildup, which gave me (and, ahem, my neighbours) so much fun last year!
I diluted the 6% OA solution from Th*rnes, which is a bit fierce on its own, down to about 4% by adding some extra tepid syrup. One colony pinged me angrily, the other just sat and muttered without reacting. NB I got a syringe from the local veterinary hospital - 76p, so a better deal than most apiary suppliers!
The treatment was straightforward enough, but I was surprised at the sheer number of bees. Both hives appear to be heavy with stores, and when I shone a torch through the polycarbonate crown boards there was a staggering amount of bees for the time of year. Every seam was stuffed with them in both hives. They must have been breeding up until very recently, and also collecting a significant amount of food.
I felt a slight embarrasment of riches, looking at them, because whilst it's nice to have a full, well-supplied hive it doesn't bode particularly well for them if conditions deteriorate suddenly. They could eat themselves out of house and home very rapidly. Or, we could have another explosive spring buildup, which gave me (and, ahem, my neighbours) so much fun last year!