Still significant mite drop after OA

[madasafish]

I had the same situation some 5 years ago. Stopped vaping that hive as too much work'
Used one of the synthetic pesticides- Apistan I think, Left for 6 weeks as per instructions - hundreds of dead mites but drop slowed and ceased. I think the bees may have been robbing a deadout hive with a huge drop.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Maybe the issue is so much capped brood because of the mild weather and a 5 day gap between vapes is missing a lot?

5 day gap is ideal. Consider that newly emerged varroa and mother mites do not infest cells straightaway

 

[Erichalfbee]

I had the same situation some 5 years ago. Stopped vaping that hive as too much work'
Used one of the synthetic pesticides- Apistan I think, Left for 6 weeks as per instructions - hundreds of dead mites but drop slowed and ceased. I think the bees may have been robbing a deadout hive with a huge drop.

Yes I gave up after 7 vapes and put in Apivar. I did a little experiment and caught a cupful of returning foragers which were sugar rolled. Lots( I can’t remember how many) of varroa dropped off



For Beginners ….. where did the varroa come from and why?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maybe the issue is so much capped brood because of the mild weather and a 5 day gap between vapes is missing a lot?

no, mites stay phoretic for a few days after emerging, the OA stays active for a good few days after applying - so as long as you stick to doing it every five days, three or four times you get the mites.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

5 day gap is ideal. Consider that newly emerged varroa and mother mites do not infest cells straightaway

I follow Hivemaker's advice - three vapes (one every five days) then a fourth vape on day four not five as a mopup.
I don't obsess with counting mites any more I just do that and relax. Only once I had an issue an anto treater/leavitalone beekeeper in the locality must have had a colony collapse due to mite load, the following summer I was seeing signs of varroasis in that particular apiary, an early start on treating that autumn (luckily the heather didn't produce) and another single treatment in December sorted it.
I suppose I'll just have to keep an eye out at the end of next season or the one after for when their new colony once again succumbs to neglect. I have started to see a pattern evolving there

 

[lizzie-drippin]

Yes I gave up after 7 vapes and put in Apivar. I did a little experiment and caught a cupful of returning foragers which were sugar rolled. Lots( I can’t remember how many) of varroa dropped off



For Beginners ….. where did the varroa come from and why?

This is why I was asking whether I should now switch after 9 vapes…

 

[Hachi]

What I’m not clear on is if agter vaoing I get a note drop of 100 after 24 hours BUT then <10 until the next vape 5 days later, is that OK to leave them??

Noting what you've said above I calculate:

Initial drop after 24hrs of 100
Less than 10 [whats that?] 5 per day for five days = 25 therefore total mite drop for 5 days is ....... 125 more or less.

So what do YOU think you should do?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I follow Hivemaker's advice - three vapes (one every five days) then a fourth vape on day four not five as a mopup.

That’s what all mine have had. I say all but I found a pack of Apivar so five of them have that. Drops were low so I vaped one once as well. Drops still low.

 

[lizzie-drippin]

So I should do my 4th sublimox on the 4th day not the 5th?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes but it’s not crucial. 4 or 5

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

With the growing popularity of using less mesh (or none at all) in home-made floors with under-floor entrances, how do you monitor mite drop at a time when you wouldn't want to open up to do a sugar roll?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you just stop obsessing and accept you've done sufficient

 

[Erichalfbee]

With the growing popularity of using less mesh (or none at all) in home-made floors with under-floor entrances, how do you monitor mite drop at a time when you wouldn't want to open up to do a sugar roll?

I dont

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Yes but it’s not crucial. 4 or 5

I guess the idea of a final vape on day 4 is because it's possible that some mites might enter cells sooner than five days after emerging. So you hope to catch these before the cell is capped - in theory!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I guess the idea of a final vape on day 4 is because it's possible that some mites might enter cells sooner than five days after emerging. So you hope to catch these before the cell is capped - in theory!

I never understood why Pete suggested this. Why not vape every four days then?

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I never understood why Pete suggested this. Why not vape every four days then?

From what I hear and read, it's difficult to really know the best interval between repeat vapes. I remember the YT videos with Bob Binnie and co. which you pointed me to, in which they said that not knowing when the mites re-enter is a problem, and the standard guess of 5-14 days means that you might miss the early birds that re-enter on, say, day 4. So why not repeat every four days? I think that comes from an idea that you would do THREE vapes only. This would catch mites exiting on days 1, 6, and 11. If brood is capped for about 12 days, Rusty Burlew suggests that you might wait a day before the third repetition. But I don't think the idea of restricting oneself to three repetitions has much credence here.

 

[lizzie-drippin]

Done my final vape of this cycle and still over 100 mites dropping after 24 hours.

So I’ve now vaped 1 complete cycle with GasVap and another with a sublimox. 8 treatments now.

I guess I keep going??!

Or do I treat again when brood less later in Wilmer?

 

[Sutty]

Done my final vape of this cycle and still over 100 mites dropping after 24 hours.

So I’ve now vaped 1 complete cycle with GasVap and another with a sublimox. 8 treatments now.

I guess I keep going??!

Or do I treat again when brood less later in Wilmer?

I'm in a similar situation. Done 7 vapes and still > 100 on a few hives, far less on others.
I'm going to carry on as the numbers  are reducing. I may swap to every 3 days. My bees are in the garden so fairly easy to do.

 

[Nick Lang]

I used apiguard about a month ago.....and I'm about to attempt to vape for the first time.....is there a "best" time of the day to do it?

 

[Sutty]

I used apiguard about a month ago.....and I'm about to attempt to vape for the first time.....is there a "best" time of the day to do it?

Marginally easier after they have stopped flying, but only because you don't have bees trying to get in while you've closed off the entrance.