Use of apivar

[Nige.Coll]

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/amitraz-red-flags-or-red-herrings/

DMPF is listed as causing birth defects, not ideal if you use wax for cosmetics.

 

[mazzamazda]

Is resistance reported anywhere?

Yep, Portugal. I accidentally left them in one apiary longer than 45 days, I struggled with varroa the following year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yep, Portugal. I accidentally left them in one apiary longer than 45 days, I struggled with varroa the following year.

Mark, how long has it been available in Portugal? Do beekeepers make their own?

Cheers

 

[tidymeup]

Amitraz is a great products but best used with other mite treatments. The idea that one single treatment is enough isn’t true.

We have allot of options and we should draw on them when we need to treat.

 

[Into the lions den]

I put in Amitraz strips on a colony that had 7 vapes and then only in desperation. So my answer would be only when all else fails but that’s a personal opinion. I follow a few commercial beekeepers in twitter and one was doing the rounds a few weeks ago taking out strips he’d put in last year!

If that's me you are talking about its an incomplete picture. MOST of the strips were long since out and only some groups of nucs, which had had them inserted very late, still had to have them removed. There were reasons for this and I did say it was not a situation I was especially happy about, but disturbing the nucs in Dec/Jan to remove the strips from the centre of a tight cluster was a worse thing for the bees than just leaving them alone until they were less dormant.

Amitraz...in this case in the form of Biowar...is slow acting and some makers advise longer times in the hive than others. 2 to 3 months is not a huge issue.

However....varying the treatments is always wise. Much more important that they work too, not just by internet chatter or fashion. LOADS of false prophets around on all manner of bee related topics.

 

[Finman]

.
7 vapes. Best treatment in the world + something else.

.

 

[mazzamazda]

Mark, how long has it been available in Portugal? Do beekeepers make their own?

Cheers

I think it has been here a while, I personally make my own and have used Apitraz which is the same as I make up 500mg of amitraz per strip.

 

[mazzamazda]

.
7 vapes. Best treatment in the world + something else.

.

I find that REALLY worrying, I have had huge losses in one apiary relying on only OAV, it certainly doesnt have the initial kill rate and continued knock down that Amitraz has. Not to mention the severe workload.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If that's me you are talking about its an incomplete picture. MOST of the strips were long since out and only some groups of nucs, which had had them inserted very late, still had to have them removed. There were reasons for this and I did say it was not a situation I was especially happy about, but disturbing the nucs in Dec/Jan to remove the strips from the centre of a tight cluster was a worse thing for the bees than just leaving them alone until they were less dormant.

Amitraz...in this case in the form of Biowar...is slow acting and some makers advise longer times in the hive than others. 2 to 3 months is not a huge issue.

However....varying the treatments is always wise. Much more important that they work too, not just by internet chatter or fashion. LOADS of false prophets around on all manner of bee related topics.

I’m happy to be corrected
Twitter feeds are but snapshots with no explanation.
As for false prophets, I don’t intentionally profesise thus. Perhaps we shouldn’t throw discussions about in this fashion at all?

 

[Into the lions den]

I’m happy to be corrected
Twitter feeds are but snapshots with no explanation.
As for false prophets, I don’t intentionally profesise thus. Perhaps we shouldn’t throw discussions about in this fashion at all?

Sorry if you misunderstood the 'false prophets' bit. It was not directed at you in any way, more a general warning about listening to those with dominant voices and a lot to say...often just strongly held groundless opinion...on the internet. I see (especially but not exclusively) beginners being wilfully mislead all the time.

 

[Finman]

Sorry if you misunderstood the 'false prophets' bit. It was not directed at you in any way, more a general warning about listening to those with dominant voices and a lot to say...often just strongly held groundless opinion...on the internet. I see (especially but not exclusively) beginners being wilfully mislead all the time.

I just got advices, how not to extract honey from hives.

 

[citrus]

so folks ... getting mixed messages on this old thread about how long to leave the strips on

The packet says
" Strips must be removed after a maximum of 56 days."

but sounds like some folks leave them until they do another treatment later in the year or until the spring !

sounds like after 15years of use in other countries there isn't resistance so ... if it is easier to leave them be(e) I would rather not open the hive in the cold

 

[Beefriendly]

so folks ... getting mixed messages on this old thread about how long to leave the strips on

The packet says
" Strips must be removed after a maximum of 56 days."

but sounds like some folks leave them until they do another treatment later in the year or until the spring !

sounds like after 15years of use in other countries there isn't resistance so ... if it is easier to leave them be(e) I would rather not open the hive in the cold

Use the advice by the manufacturers not jo soap's from a forum. 2 strips for each brood box and removed after 56 days. Quickly opening up and removing strips will cause no harm however cold it is.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Take pliers

 

[linoleum bonypart]

What do they use to make homemade apivar strips ....is it Taktic....wonder if you can mix with glycerol and soak on beer mat material ...don't shoot the ponderer ...btw I'm leaving strips in longer

 

[Erichalfbee]

No.
It’s illegal and irresponsible

 

[Apiarisnt]

What do they use to make homemade apivar strips ....is it Taktic....wonder if you can mix with glycerol and soak on beer mat material ...don't shoot the ponderer ...btw I'm leaving strips in longer

http://theapiarist.org/resistance-not-futile/

"This post is a reminder to remove the strips at the right time. The alternative – leaving them in place until the first Spring inspections – risks help the development of resistance to amitraz, so further reducing our opportunity to control mites effectively."​

 

[mbc]

so folks ... getting mixed messages on this old thread about how long to leave the strips on

The packet says
" Strips must be removed after a maximum of 56 days."

but sounds like some folks leave them until they do another treatment later in the year or until the spring !

sounds like after 15years of use in other countries there isn't resistance so ... if it is easier to leave them be(e) I would rather not open the hive in the cold

Read the commercial section on beesource and you'll see they're using stronger and more frequent taktic/shoptowel treatments to get the same control as they used to get with one end of season treatment when they started using it, my guess is that apivar or any other amitraz based strips will have to get stronger and be used more frequently and for longer as the years go by.

 

[Apiarisnt]

so folks ... getting mixed messages on this old thread about how long to leave the strips on

" sounds like after 15years of use in other countries there isn't resistance so ... if it is easier to leave them be(e) I would rather not open the hive in the cold

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00218839.2005.11101162?journalCode=tjar20

and that was in 2005