To many options and lost with them

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Freer4

New Bee
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
82
Reaction score
0
Location
newcastle
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
1
Hi as a newbee I am lost with all the diferent types of treatments for varroa, I am looking for something to treat the little red ones plus to help with chalk brood which I had a problem with this year and possably nosema but not to Sure about how you tell they have it. But the guy I got the bees from won't have treated them ever.
Please help a very lost and swamped newbee

Chris
 
For varroa I would use a thymol treatment such as Apiguard or Apilife Var.

There is nothing you can really do about chalk brood other than get/raise a new queen next year.

I wouldn't worry too much about nosema although some think thymol added to winter feed helps. You can buy Vita Feed Gold which the manufacturers claim reduces nosema spores. Some might suggest Fumidol B but it is an antibiotic and I wouldn't use it on my bees.

A diagonosis for nosema requires a microscope. Your local association may have a microscopist who will do it for you for free.

The main thing is to treat for varroa as soon as possible, time is getting on. You should also get ready for a treatment of oxalic acid/sugar syrup in late December.
 
Three different afflictions. Separate and different antidotes for each.

Observation, mite drop, drone brood checking, sugar rolling for varroa checks.

Observation for chalk brood.

Microscopy for nosema unless they actually are already showing signs of infection, in which case observation.

I am quite confident they are adequately covered in all good modern beekeping books and on the 'net' and you should need no more than reading up on the individual options. Fera publications are very good too.

They are not connected problems so there is no silver bullet to solve a llthree at once.

RAB
 
Sorry for the delay thanks for the replies
Was thinking of going down the thymol route and tying the mix with syrup but how efective is it for varroa
 
Sorry for the delay thanks for the replies
Was thinking of going down the thymol route and tying the mix with syrup but how efective is it for varroa

Hi Freer - there are two types of thymol treatment mentioned above - the one mixed with the feed which is meant to prevent nosema (Hivemaker's recipe is in the Sticky forum), and Apiguard or Apilife Var which are thymol based and used over a period of weeks to kill off varroa mites (Hivemaker has also posted a thymol based mix which can be used instead of these two to add further confusion!)

Both worthwhile in my very inexperienced opinion.
 
Last edited:
Rooftops is spot on in my opinion. There is no point in mixing stuff yourself for one colony.
Follow the instructions on the packet for the varroa treatments.

I have always kept my colonies on open mesh floors; I have seen somewhere that there is perhaps less chalk brood now with OMF's than with solid floors as there is better ventillation.

Assuming you have an OMF, do you keep your drawer in or out - usually mine are out all year except when monitoring mite levels.
 
Here's a list of the methods I've used in the past and my own thoughts on them - others might add more info or disagree with what they prefer.

Apistan - chemical miticide - strips which hang in the hives for 6-8 weeks (usually in summer) when you're not collecting honey for human consumption. Can be very effective, but not in areas with miticide resistance. (becoming very common in the UK).

Apiguard/Apilife Var - Thymol-based/Organic essentail oils - gel or blocks. Has to be done in warmer weather or there isn't enough warmth to properly vaporise the oils. Less effective than miticides, but no problems with mite resistance though. Again, not done when there's honey being collected as it can taint the honey.

Oxalic Acid Trickle - oxalic acid & sugar syrup - sold pre-prepared, trickle it over the bees in winter (when there is no brood) - it attacks the mites clinging to the bees. Often done regardless of mite levels as it helps keep numbers down.

Drone brood removal - both an inspection and potential treatment method. If you put a super frame in a brood box, the bees will build drone comb all over the bottom of it. Once this is capped over take it out and uncap the larvae, and count the varroa mites. Destroying this comb will also remove a good number of mites from the hive early on in the season, keeping numbers lower for the rest of the year.

Personally, I use Apiguard when I have a high mite count, and generally always apply an oxalic acid trickle in winter, 'just in case'. Drone brood removal is also a good monitoring technique thats worth getting into the habit of doing.

Hope this helps! There's lots more methods that exist, but I think these are the most trusted and easy to implement ones that are commonly used.
 
I have some aspitan to put in but was still going down the line of thymol in syrup.
I don't have an omf on but there might be possibility if getting one next spring.
They are starting to get low on stores so will be feeding this week,
I also had some little sod kick the hive over yesterday which upset them alittle bit.
 
I have some aspitan to put in but was still going down the line of thymol in syrup.

That sentence gives the impression that these two treatments are alternatives.

They are two different treatments for two different afflictions.

Thymol in syrup primarily prevents fermentation and a secondary effect is to prevent nosema infections progressing. Whether it as medicinal properties or simply improves the nutrition, I would not be sure. If/as it works, does it really matter?

When you say aspitan, I am presuming you mean apistan?

If so, beware of efficacy with regards to resistant mites. You may miss 80% or more!

Regards, RAB
 
Sorry rab I don't explain myself very well.
Yes I am putting apistan in.
And I have started to put thymol syrup in using hive makers recipy for the nosema
I am not aware of the resistance of apistan
 
Mites becomes resistant to Apistan and there is every chance the mites in your area are. I suggest contacting your local bee inspector for advice on what to use. Many beekeepers in England have now gone over to thymol treatments such as Apiguard and Apilife Var.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top