Uniting & Feeding for winter

[Lead-Legs]

Hi, I'm new to beekeeping and am after a bit of advice. I started with a nucleus in April and carried out an AS at the end of May. I didn't re-unite as I was hoping that they were going to build up enough, to take 2 colonies through the winter. I then had a problem with insecticide poisoning, confirmed by the SBI. So at the moment I have 2 14x12s with only 4 or 5 frames of bees in each and not much in the way of stores. I'm currently treating with ApiLife V. So what is the best way of uniting and feeding?

 

[Poly Hive]

My plan would be to take of the varroa treatment, then unite with newspaper, then continue with a varroa treatment suitable for the lower temps. Remember to "prick" the news paper in a couple of places to give the bees a start.

Someone moaned that they had to use tape of some sort to join up the sheets but the purchase of a broad sheet paper will sort that out for you. I use two sheets not one BTW.

Your priority is to unite and worry about your varroa later, and on that line of thought have you a mite drop that justifies the treatment or are you doing it because everyone else seems to be?

PH

 

[vonclatt]

Just remember to squish one of the queens?

 

[Lead-Legs]

Thanks for that PH. Varroa drop was 75 in 7 days at end of July, put it into the Beebase V. Calc and it recommended treatment. How quickly will they unite, so that I can start to feed?

 

[Poly Hive]

They are usually through the paper in a couple of days but leave them as a double brood box for a week, then shuffle the combs to best effect and reducing them to a single brood box and then feed.

Your varroa can be dealt with (and possibly more effectively) by an OA treatment in Jan.

PH

 

[susbees]

How far into varroa treatment are you and what was your treatment fall?

The trouble with leaving it til January oxalic is that all the mites plus some more will still be alive on fewer bees. Different if you've done say two weeks plus already.

And lots of people feed with treatment on.

Open to discussion as always PH

 

[mbc]

How far into varroa treatment are you and what was your treatment fall?

The trouble with leaving it til January oxalic is that all the mites plus some more will still be alive on fewer bees. Different if you've done say two weeks plus already.

And lots of people feed with treatment on.

Open to discussion as always PH

I'd agree but keep in mind any of the thymol based treatments are most effective in the first few days of treatment ( anybody else gone into a hive a couple of days after applying apiguard and been shocked to see it all gone ? )
It does call into question why the recommendations for the second half of treatment with apiguard is two weeks after the first, just when the first "clean" bees are emerging.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

It does call into question why the recommendations for the second half of treatment with apiguard is two weeks after the first, just when the first "clean" bees are emerging.

You'll know better than me mbc, but don't some colonies still have a significant drop in week 3, suggesting perhaps that the vapours near the end of the first application aren't strong enough for the pre-treatment emerging mites ?

 

[drstitson]

i thought the whole point of a 4 week cycle was to ensure full effective coverage of a complete capped brood cycle, allowing for the diminuation of effectiveness over the 14 days.

 

[Lead-Legs]

How far into varroa treatment are you and what was your treatment fall?

I've just started the 3rd lot of treatment. I intend to unite on Friday evening. A friend is in desperate need of a queen so I'll let him have the old queen.

Should the Q+ BB be placed on top or below?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Should the Q+ BB be placed on top or below?

Either is supposed to be OK but I think it's best to put the weaker colony on top of the stronger. I had to put a stronger colony on top of the weaker which had the queen as I was uniting wood to poly and din't want to do it the other way round. It worked anyway.

 

[Bob Bee]

i thought the whole point of a 4 week cycle was to ensure full effective coverage of a complete capped brood cycle, allowing for the diminuation of effectiveness over the 14 days.

 

[mbc]

varroa dive into brood just before its capped ( day 9 or 10 after the egg is layed ) so given that thymol treatments are most effective in the first few days then the first"clean" bees will emerge 11 days later ( 14 for drones ) - just when the second dose is recommended. The varroa only have 14 days at the most when they can "hide" in brood so why dont we just bash them as hard as we can for that fortnight ?

 

[drstitson]

you could just hit them for a fortnight - especially if you only had low level infestation BUT honeybee lifecycle timings are only averages plus mites may emerge with new bees and then dive straight back into other cells. assuming this is an uncommon occurrence, next round of treatment should hit the next emergers.

also - if queen goes off lay, which many do, will mean that any mites are exposed later in the treatment cycle.

remember - ALV is also a 4 week treatment BUT with weekly doses.