So it began

[Chris Nother]

Agreed re You Tube - oodles of fascinating stuff to watch but I have learnt this year that what might work great in Canada might be a bad idea in Ireland, for example!

 

[Murox]

I’ve had a challenging year with my bees, and the help and advice I have received from forum members has been invaluable. Be careful about YouTube, some of the suggestions on there are a bit dodgy! I’m sure the more experienced forum members will be able to suggest who to follow.

The search function is quite good for avoiding the ‘is this a silly question’ worry!

Good luck!

One of the better u-tube video offerings is from Stewart Spinks of the Norfolk Honey Company - can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNorfolkHoneyCo
He has a good range of video information.

By the way - there are no silly questions, just things you may not know or are unsure about.

 

[MerryBee]

Lots of good advice above, but please make sure you dont get carried away with the feeding. At the moment when you inspect you just need to make sure the bees have enough stores to last until the next inspection. Probably a couple of frames is plenty. Your swarm needs to produce lots of brood to build up the colony before winter, and there is a danger if you overfeed, the queen will not have enough space to lay.

You dont need to be worrying about winter stores at the moment. Most people wont be doing winter feeding until September.

 

[Buzz Bee Babe]

Funny enough I have only been watching the Norfolk honey Company. I’ve really enjoyed his Videos.

Merrybee, I placed the swarm in the hive on Thursday last week, the plan was to feed them and leave alone for two weeks, when I would be going in to assess.

They seem to be bringing plenty in for themselves, but until I open them up I won’t know.

I will have a look tomorrow and see how the food is fairing.

If they have a couple of frames of stores should I back off from leaving syrup?

Thanks for your time All, much appreciated

 

[MerryBee]

Yes I would say so. They should be bringing in plenty for themselves at this time of year assuming fine weather, though someone else in your area would be better placed to comment on that.

Did anyone mention treating for varroa before any brood is sealed.?
If your swarm came with a mated queen, she will probably start laying within a day or two, so you could have sealed brood by day ten.
An oxalic acid treatment would be the thing to go for.

 

[Buzz Bee Babe]

I really appreciate your advice, I shall purchase some ASAP-and get them treated.
Thank you so much

 

[pargyle]

I really appreciate your advice, I shall purchase some ASAP-and get them treated.
Thank you so much

Unless you have the means to sublimate the Oxalic Acid you may be better with one of the thymol based treatments at this time of the year and with no honey supers to worry about there is no problem with contaminating the honey.

If it were me I would do a sugar roll first to establish if the swarm is infested - not all bees carry huge loads of varroa and treating them without knowing is a waste of time and money and frankly any treatment other than OA by sublimation tends to upset the bees and some, like MAQS are downright invasive if not used properly and under the right conditions.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe if Buzz Bee Babe is a beginner and not confident in doing a sugar roll just treating might be in order? As pargyle says most treatments are a little sharp, putting queens off lay and worse.
You could try Abelo for their Oxalic acid strips. None of the nastiness if thymol it formic acid and they are easy to apply. Just put them in and the bees eventually throw them out.
It’s worth a look

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Unless you have the means to sublimate the Oxalic Acid you may be better with one of the thymol based treatments at this time of the year and with no honey supers to worry about there is no problem with contaminating the honey.

If it were me I would do a sugar roll first to establish if the swarm is infested - not all bees carry huge loads of varroa and treating them without knowing is a waste of time and money and frankly any treatment other than OA by sublimation tends to upset the bees and some, like MAQS are downright invasive if not used properly and under the right conditions.

For a new beekeeper I wouldn't suggest buggering about while the queen carries on laying up comb. Sublimation gear is unlikely to be to hand and initially expensive, whereas an OA dribble can be carried out quickly and with minimal risk to either beekeeper or bees.
All treatment options carry some risk but so do varroa. You pays your money and you take your choice.

 

[pargyle]

Maybe if Buzz Bee Babe is a beginner and not confident in doing a sugar roll just treating might be in order? As pargyle says most treatments are a little sharp, putting queens off lay and worse.
You could try Abelo for their Oxalic acid strips. None of the nastiness if thymol it formic acid and they are easy to apply. Just put them in and the bees eventually throw them out.
It’s worth a look

Well .. Yes. But sooner or later you have to learn to test properly for varroa.

The OA strips are a good idea and at the same time (and I hadn't come across this previously) this looks like a really good little device for sugar rolling and on the same Abelo page as the strips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMyA6ajHZKE

I use a modified kilner jar with a varroa mesh centre to the lid in place of the usual glass plate and it works but ... I rather like that the above device leaves the varroa separated from the bees and contained ... clever idea. I commend it to the panel of authorities - I think I might splash out on one.

 

[pargyle]

For a new beekeeper I wouldn't suggest buggering about while the queen carries on laying up comb. Sublimation gear is unlikely to be to hand and initially expensive, whereas an OA dribble can be carried out quickly and with minimal risk to either beekeeper or bees.
All treatment options carry some risk but so do varroa. You pays your money and you take your choice.

I agree ... hence why I would test first to see what the varroa load actually is .. the real time to worry about the presence of varroa is going into winter if you have a heavy load at the end of the season the devastation caused by varroa will leave you with dead bees in spring.

Out of all the swarms I've collected I've never found one with a big varroa load (I have a few theories about why this is - but for another day).

I reckon the investment in even a cheapo car battery sublimator or a gas vap is money well spent if you are intending treating for varroa - the alternatives are not as effective as sublimatioin and are more invasive - plus their cost, compared to generic OA, is substantial.

Whilst I do not treat my bees as a matter or course I have one colony that is currently showing a higher load than I would like .. I've seen spikes in the past so I'm not panicking - they seem healthy in all other respects but.. if it continues it's a good colony and they will get a dose of hive cleaner.

 

[E&MBees]

Well .. Yes. But sooner or later you have to learn to test properly for varroa.

The OA strips are a good idea and at the same time (and I hadn't come across this previously) this looks like a really good little device for sugar rolling and on the same Abelo page as the strips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMyA6ajHZKE

I use a modified kilner jar with a varroa mesh centre to the lid in place of the usual glass plate and it works but ... I rather like that the above device leaves the varroa separated from the bees and contained ... clever idea. I commend it to the panel of authorities - I think I might splash out on one.

Thanks for the link. I might look at getting one of these too.

 

[Buzz Bee Babe]

Firstly. Thank you all for the great comments. For a new Beekeeper I can’t tell you how invaluable to me.

Would I be able to purchase a vape for oxalic acid sublimation for around £100 ?
If so would that suffice until I could budget for a high end tool.

Do you guys have any recommendations at all.

I would very much like to get them treated befor the 10 day period, which would be Sunday.

Might it be quicker to use an Apiguard style of treatment and be more prepared next time?

Thank you all

 

[Erichalfbee]

Firstly. Thank you all for the great comments. For a new Beekeeper I can’t tell you how invaluable to me.

Would I be able to purchase a vape for oxalic acid sublimation for around £100 ?
If so would that suffice until I could budget for a high end tool.

Do you guys have any recommendations at all.

I would very much like to get them treated befor the 10 day period, which would be Sunday.

Might it be quicker to use an Apiguard style of treatment and be more prepared next time?

Thank you all

Apiguard will put the queen off lay but you will only have to have it in for a week.
Oxalic strips won’t interfere with the queen
A trickle of oxalic is effective too but don’t repeat it mid winter. You won’t need to.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

For now, I would just do a simple Oxalic Acid trickle. They're broodless, or have unsealed brood so it matters not a jot what time of year it is.
Then leave them build up and go for a conventional treatment in the autumn - either Apiguard or, once you've had a bit of time to research and understand OA vapourisation, go for a three dose vape.
You can get a varrox for a little over £100.00 - that one is a 'high end' quality tool.

 

[drex]

As per JBM I would do a trickle. My pan type vape cost £30 several years ago and still gives good service. In spite of having the vape I trickle occasionally, purely for convenience

 

[Buzz Bee Babe]

I just watched a videos of the Varox, looks like a cracking bit of kit, right in my budget as well.

I’ll look into the trickle method now.

Are there any products / sellers more readily used than others?

God bless you all

 

[Niv]

I don't currently vapourise but this varrox looks like a good bit of kit and easy to use.

What do you use in it, Api-Bloxal or something else?

Currently I get OA solution from my association and a syringe, they give as much as you need for your hives at £1 per beekeeper - but obviously that has to be trickled in.

 

[Amari]

I don't currently vapourise but this varrox looks like a good bit of kit and easy to use.
What do you use in it, Api-Bloxal or something else?

Currently I get OA solution from my association and a syringe, they give as much as you need for your hives at £1 per beekeeper - but obviously that has to be trickled in.

I just watched a videos of the Varox, looks like a cracking bit of kit, right in my budget as well.

I’ll look into the trickle method now.

Are there any products / sellers more readily used than others?

Vaporises can be quite cheap: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxalic-Vap...qid=1594808034&sprefix=oxalic,aps,179&sr=8-19

What you vaporise are oxalic acid crystals.
Over the years folk used generic OA - eg sold by Thornes as 'wood refresher'. Not allowed to advertise it for varroa treatment - it became illegal a few years ago with the advent of 'approved' stuff such as Api-bioxal - vastly more expensive.
Mind you, I expect some folk still have stores of the generic version which they are using up....
NB: I'm alarmed to find that Amazon is no longer selling generic OA (for cleaning my boat of course). If you type in 'oxalic acid crystals' you are only offered citric acid.
Edit: available via googling

 

[drdrday]

The pan style vapes only cost £20-30 but you would also need a suitable battery to power it. Personally I've found that the pan vapes don't heat all of the OA and either leave a crust in the pan or overflow and you lose quite a bit out of the pan as it heats up.

A Gasvap costs a little more (from £40) but for me it works much better. Unless or until you have hives numbering in the tens and speed is important I don't think you need any of the more expensive equipment.

Of course, don't forget you need a suitable mask too.

As a beginner I'd rather invest a little on a vaporiser that I know will get regular use going forward than use some of the other treatments that can be a little tough on your bees.