OA treatment - when?

[drstitson]

as per the title

 

[Brosville]

Never?

 

[Vergilius]

Don't need it.

Ben P

 

[Heather]

Oh Ben are you sure??....heard that one before.

I have just done as there was 4 weeks of cluster and very cold so pretty sure no brood. Get it done, let them regroup, and I seemed to have no bee loss above the norm for this time of the year.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Not needed.

 

[tazbee]

Hi all

Did mine yesterday, very cold with no wind, girls been in tight cluster for about 3 weeks.

Hive 1 over 5 seams

Hive 2 over 8 seams ( still has drones)

Hive 3 over 7 seams

Fed fondant, now it's wait and see

Hope you all have a great Christmas

One of the fools?

akaTazbee

 

[Skyhook]

I was intending to do it about 1 week ago, but too b****y cold.

 

[RoofTops]

Tazbee - drones at this time of year is not a good sign. Queen probably on her way out I fear.

 

[Teemore]

OA sublimated on 11th December - temp climbed up to around 7C locally and that loosened up the cluster thus making OA treatment more effective. My 2 colonies were treated, 2 colonies belonging to one friend, 8 belonging to another plus a few others. No mite fall from one of my hives so far - no doubt someone will tell me that means I didn't need to treat - and the other colony produced a grand total of 32 dead mites over the course of 7 days.

 

[Vergilius]

Oh Ben are you sure??

Sure.

Ben P

 

[Skyhook]

Sure.

Ben P

You haven't done a hedgerow Pete have you?

 

[victor meldrew]

Did mine ,fed fondant.
Not happy about it but can't afford to let nature run riot especially when the odds are stacked in favour of the varroa mite .
Next year I hope to follow HMs routine which involoves IPM but no OA treatments . Formic acid if absolutely necessary .

If Pete makes it work you can bet he's worked it out by observation and practice rather than following advice blindly !

John Wilkinson

 

[jimbeekeeper]

I did mine the other weekend when it warmed up, also slapped on a slab of fondant.

Job done, no more messing about for me until spring.

I do not see what difference it will make between 1 week ago and even 2 weeks time.

So your mention of opps or around xmas/boxing day or around new year or even sometime later in january are irrelivent as they are all so close.

 

[chalkie]

Going to do mine nearer to the end of this month, as looking at the forecast in my area it starts to warm up from around the 28th.

 

[MJBee]

I usually treat between Christmas and New Year, however as we have had 4 weeks of very cold weather I think there will be very little/no sealed brood. As the temperature yesterday recovered to 7C They were dosed yesterday. I will monitor mite drop for the next 7 days to see how effective it has been.

 

[Poly Hive]

I am at the mercy of the elements, the business and oh yes... GOING on HOLLS!

Yippee....


Sorry...

Down boy..

Anyway on my return from sunny Cuba in late Jan I will be doing the deed.



PH

 

[Vergilius]

Sure.

Ben P

I do not see the point of disturbing them if, after 5 weeks of apiguard in Aug, the mite drop was still virtually non-existent. Same last season...

Ben P

 

[steve1958]

Boxing Day I hope

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Boxing Day I hope

That is not a very good date to be treating them?

 

[Somerford]

Well I haven't voted as I have no idea when it will warm up again to make it viable to use OA....

end of Dec/early Jan, early feb will probably be too late !

waiting for a thaw !

S