should one treat a swarm for Varroa?

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dickbowyer

House Bee
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Location
W Sussex, UK
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National
Number of Hives
Some hives and a few nucs
Having just had a swarm into a bait hive, is there any advantage in Varroa treatment before honey laid down or will they just b****r off from the smell?
 
I was taught that adding a frame of brood, and a tray of apiguard, should clean up any mite issues (remove the frame of brood a week later, all (if lucky) of the mites will be sealed in this frame)
 
Just leave them to it and treat them in the winter with oxalic acid.

Or you can apiguard them in the autumn.
 
I have taken 4 swarms this year. All have been given a 3% oxalic (in 1:1 sugar) at a rate of 5ml per seem of bees as soon as I can (before laying starts)

Oxalic does not work on varroa in the brood (how could it!). A swarm has no brood so if you catch them before there is brood then you can do a very effective knock back on any varroa on the adults. Obviously need to be ona OMF so the detached mites are expelled from the nest. Not lost any new colonies and follow up drone brood checks are showing clean.

Luck or proactive good husbandry / IPM? I like to think the latter.

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst :cheers2:
 

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