Treating a new swarm with Apiguard?

[oliver90owner]

. Eggzackerly. Might be enough to make you want to move out and find a home without the smell!

 

[Earthboy]

Originally from Bee-L

"The three most frequent residues were the widely used fungicide carbendazim and two acaricides, amitraz and coumaphos, that are used by beekeepers to control Varroa destructor. Apiaries in rural-cultivated landscapes were more contaminated than those in other landscape contexts, but the differences were not significant. The contamination of the different matrices was shown to be higher in early spring than in all other periods."

A French Study:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0067007

 

[Do224]

I’m starting to understand the saying ‘ask 10 beekeepers a question and you’ll get 11 different answers’

My Abelo strips have arrived and I happened to be at the association apiary meeting yesterday and mentioned to one of the mentors that I was going to treat my new swarm for varroa.

He said that I was too late as I now had brood and I really needed to destroy any frames of brood and then treat as any varroa would be in the brood. This seems a bit extreme and I’m loathed to destroy all the frames the bees have drawn out and the queen laid in.

So...I asked a different mentor the same question. He basically said ‘don’t worry, a new swarm isn’t going to have much varroa, just wait until winter and treat them then’

 

[Boston Bees]

I’m starting to understand the saying ‘ask 10 beekeepers a question and you’ll get 11 different answers’

My Abelo strips have arrived and I happened to be at the association apiary meeting yesterday and mentioned to one of the mentors that I was going to treat my new swarm for varroa.

He said that I was too late as I now had brood and I really needed to destroy any frames of brood and then treat as any varroa would be in the brood. This seems a bit extreme and I’m loathed to destroy all the frames the bees have drawn out and the queen laid in.

So...I asked a different mentor the same question. He basically said ‘don’t worry, a new swarm isn’t going to have much varroa, just wait until winter and treat them then’

First mentor is an idiot

Second mentor is more accurate though perhaps a bit complacent. I would treat them now myself. With the brood left intact!

 

[alancooper]

I wouldn't recommend Apiguard at this time of year.

 

[alancooper]

Why not?

 

[hemo]

Destroying healthy brood is not the answer, it is a waste of the bees work and energy and then you set the colony back a minimum of three weeks as you loose all those young bees so the effect is actually more like two brood cycles as one has to wait longer for new bees to emerge.
Carry out a sugar roll on a sample of brood bees and see how many mites show up or see how many mites drop using the strips on a sticky board.

With the brood less cycle of a swarm the varroa will have been reduced as they can't reproduce without the brood, the initial chance to relieve them of 90+% of mites has been lost now brood is sealed however numbers can still be reduced using the strips now and again with another treatment when the brood starts to emerge.
For the future an investment in a vaporiser pan and Apibioxal will be worth it.

Also we are now only 8 -12 weeks away from Autumn treatments so not a major issue for most, monitoring is key but one can be come obsessed with mites if not careful. Once every 4 weeks from April to July monitor mites with a simple sugar roll test if concerned about mites.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well just leave the strips in for six weeks and that’s it. Done. A while brood cycle plus a fair bit more

 

[Do224]

Well just leave the strips in for six weeks and that’s it. Done. A while brood cycle plus a fair bit more

Am I right in thinking that I can’t take any honey if I’ve used the Abelo strips?

Not that I’m really expecting much if any honey this year

 

[Erichalfbee]

Am I right in thinking that I can’t take any honey if I’ve used the Abelo strips?

Not that I’m really expecting much if any honey this year

I would take honey. You’re not going to poison yourself or anybody else with a natural constituent of honey kept away from the supers anyway.
Somebody will be along in a minute to say the strips are illegal. So be warned

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

II wouldn't recommend Apiguard at this time of year.

Why not?

Think about it for a while.
apiguard doesn't work on sealed brood so it would have to stay on for the whole 2 pack four week cucle
apiguard stinks and would taint any honey on the hive - it would be inedible
Bees don't like the stink either, you're putting the stuff on at what could be the hottest time of the year, bees are going to hate it, best case scenario it's going to put the queen off lay, worse case, they'll abscond.
It will probably totally bugger up your colony

 

[Do224]

I would take honey. You’re not going to poison yourself or anybody else with a natural constituent of honey kept away from the supers anyway.
Somebody will be along in a minute to say the strips are illegal. So be warned

So if I’m understanding correctly, the Abelo strips are permitted to be used to ‘cleanse’ the hive and it’s fine to harvest honey if using them. But they’re not specifically a permitted form of varroa treatment. Is that correct?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So if I’m understanding correctly, the Abelo strips are permitted to be used to ‘cleanse’ the hive and it’s fine to harvest honey if using them. But they’re not specifically a permitted form of varroa treatment. Is that correct?

got it in one pal.

 

[Erichalfbee]

So if I’m understanding correctly, the Abelo strips are permitted to be used to ‘cleanse’ the hive and it’s fine to harvest honey if using them. But they’re not specifically a permitted form of varroa treatment. Is that correct?

Not quite
I would take the honey and eat it and give it to my grandchildren. I probably wouldn’t sell it
Edit. JBM beat me to what I should have said.

 

[Do224]

Not quite
I would take the honey and eat it and give it to my grandchildren. I probably wouldn’t sell it
Edit. JBM beat me to what I should have said.

Presume it’s only a problem if you use them when you’ve got a super on then...would be ok to sell if strips are removed before putting supers on?

Or would the strips have to be used after honey has been harvested at the end of the year?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Presume it’s only a problem if you use them when you’ve got a super on then...would be ok to sell if strips are removed before putting supers on?

yes

 

[Erichalfbee]

Presume it’s only a problem if you use them when you’ve got a super on then...would be ok to sell if strips are removed before putting supers on?

Or would the strips have to be used after honey has been harvested at the end of the year?

Best used without supers

 

[Do224]

I’ll be inspecting tomorrow and plan to put the strips on at the same time.

I understand that you put four strips across the top bars. Given it’s a swarm and only has bees on 4 frames, would it make sense only to use two strips?

I also understand they need to be left on for six weeks. Am I likely to have a six week interval before I need to put a super on? I’ve no experience so not sure how quick my colony will build up.

I suppose alternatively I could wait until late in the year when the supers come off and then use the strips...would this be asking for trouble if I don’t treat now?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ll be inspecting tomorrow and plan to put the strips on at the same time.

I understand that you put four strips across the top bars. Given it’s a swarm and only has bees on 4 frames, would it make sense only to use two strips?

I also understand they need to be left on for six weeks. Am I likely to have a six week interval before I need to put a super on? I’ve no experience so not sure how quick my colony will build up.

I suppose alternatively I could wait until late in the year when the supers come off and then use the strips...would this be asking for trouble if I don’t treat now?

Two strips for a week. They won't have capped brood so the strips do not have to be on for a brood cycle.
If they have capped brood then six weeks and take them off if they need a super.

 

[Do224]

They’ve already got capped brood, must have been a prime swarm.

Is it worth putting them on if I need to take them off again in three or four weeks when a super potentially goes on?