Terrible honey crop and depleted stores!

[user 819]

I had to cancel the start of vaping at the village location as I want to vape all seven colonies in one go, currently the two main production colonies are on a good flow so supers filling up, so I can wait till end of the month.

Nearer home I vaped a nuc and production hive so will check mite fall Saturday. I did carry out 3 or 4 sugar rolls during late spring early summer and indications were mites infestation was <1% but we will see.

The beek in question is a lady beek at a monastery and from what I have gleaned is she is low interference so not likely to be monitoring for mites as Pargyle does, another lady beek nearby also had issues with having to multile vape last year and has had captured 8 swarms this year from the general direction of the monastery. Most recently last week.

 

[victor meldrew]

I had to cancel the start of vaping at the village location as I want to vape all seven colonies in one go, currently the two main production colonies are on a good flow so supers filling up, so I can wait till end of the month.

Nearer home I vaped a nuc and production hive so will check mite fall Saturday. I did carry out 3 or 4 sugar rolls during late spring early summer and indications were mites infestation was <1% but we will see.

You do realise that vaping has a much reduced effect when brood is present !
my regime is one vape per annum during broodless periods !

 

[user 819]

That's why multiples are carried out to cover at least a whole brood cycle. A single vape with brood is a waste of time as is extending vaping beyond 5 days.

 

[user 819]

You do realise that vaping has a much reduced effect when brood is present !
my regime is one vape per annum during broodless periods !

The science behind vaping with brood is proven and effective if done as per the recommendations.
Recently read that Randy found mite fall/efficacy even better with 4 and 2 day applications.

 

[user 819]

I prefer vaping as it is the softer option of all the treatments used and one can't forget about withdrawing a product as there is nothing to withdraw.
No need to open and crack any prop seals with minimal disturbance, the only thing the beek has to do is rigidly come rain or shine, is keep to the max 5 day cycle period. One can of course bring that forward a day or two if need be.

 

[victor meldrew]

The science behind vaping with brood is proven and effective if done as per the recommendations.
Recently read that Randy found mite fall/efficacy even better with 4 and 2 day applications.

The science behind vaping with brood is proven and effective if done as per the recommendations.
Recently read that Randy found mite fall/efficacy even better with 4 and 2 day applications.

The varroa hiding in the capped brood cells escape the OA vapour . Repeat applications isn’t my approach . The varroa load in my colonies is low enough for my bees to tolerate .

 

[user 819]

OA vaping is like other treatments it is administered so as to capture a whole brood cycle it gets up to 95% of mites in the colony not in capped brood and then mops up any that emerge over the next 4 days hence the rolling 3 or 4 x application, just like the other treatments that are left in the colony for about 4 -6 weeks but with the less pungent smell.
No bearding with OA either.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m sold. Have been vaping since 2011

 

[gmonag]

You don't have to cover the full 21/24 brood cycle, just the sealed period (The first OA vape will kill almost all the mites (98%) outside any capped brood.
Over the next 5 days new mites will emerge but no yet re-enter the brood. The second vape (5 days after the first) will kill them all. There are now no more mites left to infect new brood.
Third vape ditto
Forth vape ditto
That will cover all brood that was already capped when the first vape was done (total 15 days).

Expect a mite fall after each vape. No need to carry on after 4, just-in-case.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Expect a mite fall after each vape. No need to carry on after 4, just-in-case.

Maybe maybe not
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sudden-huge-mite-drop.40758/

 

[madasafish]

Maybe maybe not
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sudden-huge-mite-drop.40758/

I suspect drone brood with longer gestation period might account for most of that.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I suspect drone brood with longer gestation period might account for most of that.

What if there is little ?
There certainly wasn’t enough drone brood to justify the enormous prolonged drop I got in that one colony that year

 

[user 819]

There is always a remote chance of absconding bees joining another hive and re-infesting.

 

[madasafish]

What if there is little ?
There certainly wasn’t enough drone brood to justify the enormous prolonged drop I got in that one colony that year

Bang goes another thought!

 

[user 819]

You don't have to cover the full 21/24 brood cycle, just the sealed period (The first OA vape will kill almost all the mites (98%) outside any capped brood.
Over the next 5 days new mites will emerge but no yet re-enter the brood. The second vape (5 days after the first) will kill them all. There are now no more mites left to infect new brood.
Third vape ditto
Forth vape ditto
That will cover all brood that was already capped when the first vape was done (total 15 days).

Expect a mite fall after each vape. No need to carry on after 4, just-in-case.

Yes, quite right. My math's was out and didn't account for the 8/9 day open cycle, however one has to also go by the fall rate on the board after the 3rd or 4th vape. If counts are still high they need dropping until into reasonable numbers.

 

[gmonag]

There is still a risk of reinfection from other (collapsing) colonies, but that is a different issue. The above schedule will produce effective mite control with brood present.

 

[Ian123]

There is still a risk of reinfection from other (collapsing) colonies, but that is a different issue. The above schedule will produce effective mite control with brood present.

Vapes on the time scale should in most cases work but if you’ve followed this forum long enough there’s many instances of people finding very large drops after several more applications. The cause of this could be human error. Some vape equipment is very basic(gasvap) mesh floors. Given the lack of any side effects, if in doubt have another go. It’s a bit like saying you never feed but then finding you have to in emergencies

 

[Erichalfbee]

Vapes on the time scale should in most cases work but if you’ve followed this forum long enough there’s many instances of people finding very large drops after several more applications. The cause of this could be human error. Some vape equipment is very basic(gasvap) mesh floors. Given the lack of any side effects, if in doubt have another go. It’s a bit like saying you never feed but then finding you have to in emergencies

I have one colony out of eight dropping lots. The others not.
They have had three vapes and will get more till the drops are low.

 

[gmonag]

I have one colony out of eight dropping lots. The others not.

Why do you think that is, Dani?

 

[Erichalfbee]

It was Demareed. I kept the manipulation rolling so it was a huge colony with no brood break. I took my eye off the ball so it’s my fault so far. Will wait and see what future vapes bring. I Demareed two other colonies and they are nowhere near so badly infested. One has similar bees even.
I shall spring vape if I Demaree again.