Pre Apiguard - Clear supers or leave space

[SunnyRaes]

We know we need to make sure we've got all our supers off before treating for Varroa. However our hives are fairly packed and I'm conscious that we are removing space. We don't want to delay treatment too long - we left it too late last year.

Is removing the space going to be a massive problem?

The supers will be extracted and put back on for clearing out after treatment (some of the old brood boxes we've cleared of brood and are now fairly full of honey so may be put back on scored but unextracted).

 

[SunnyRaes]

The other question is, how many supers would you clear at a time?

I'd personally have said 1 super at a time and give them time to get used to less space (so 1 a week perhaps), although this will obviously take a lot longer to do.

Other half has been clearing 2 or 3 at a time

 

[enrico]

I don't do mine all at once, I do them as they get capped, but then I have a home apiary and my own extractor. It is a catch 22 situation, you have to reduce to treat so ..... It has to be done!
E

 

[SunnyRaes]

Yep, we would perhaps have removed earlier if we had an extractor. Meh. As long as it is a catch 22, then we'll remove and treat rather than keep putting it off.

I take it if we were leaving a super / brood box of stores on over winter we'd still want to remove? Apiguard success is based on the volume of space available isn't it?

Did I read somewhere that thymol based products will contaminate for around 6 months? Or is that brood box / super then effectively dirty till recombed?