Varroa Count High - Help!

[Meg]

Resistance tests are also explained in the DEFRA varroa leaflet which you can view and print from Beebase if you haven't got a copy.

Too invasive for this time of year IMO.

Meg

 

[BBK]

Just checked out the test on the "Managing Varroa" document on Beebase - thanks people. Something to try next year for sure - I'm keen to get one step ahead of the mites next time - I've been feeling like I've been several steps behind them so far this year. Knowledge is power!!

 

[BBK]

For those of you who were following my Varroa trials and tribulations you may be interested in an update. As you may remember I looked to be having some success with a late treatment of Apiguard but with decreasing average temperatures I took some advice from this forum and added 2 Apistan strips. Subsequent counts (at 24 hour intervals unless otherwise stated) are as follows:

2nd Tray Apiguard added 2 strips Apistan added

06.11 167
07.11 447
08.11 49
09.11 30
10.11 11
11.11 40
12.11 13
13.11 8
14.11 5

If I can put the huge leap on 07.11 down to the introduction of the Apistan then I can be hopeful that I may have non-resistance in the hive and I am truly heading towards a zero count. I doubt if the Apiguard is having much of an effect now with the temperatures being down and into week 4 of that treatment.

The recommended 6 week Apistan treatment will take me up to around 18th December. Would an oxalic treatment in later December/early January, what with only taking the Apistan off in the 3rd week of December be considered as being harmful to the bees?

 

[RoofTops]

You deserve a medal for counting 447 mites - I would have just said "a lot" or "hundreds".

The problem about resistance is you might have killed 80% of the mites but that still leaves plenty left. Resistance does not always mean the treatment will not work - it just means it will be less effective.

Unless you can be sure the mites are not resistant then I would recommend OA at the end of December. It will be a good test for resistance because if lots of mites fall out then you know you have it, otherwise nothing really lost.

 

[Poly Hive]

Forget zero as an ambition.

Provided the numbers are low you have pretty much done the best you can until someone finds that lovely silver bullet and we can deal with them once and for all.

PH

 

[BBK]

Thanks for advice and support as always. I'll arrange with my club for an OA treatment in December/January and in the meantime I'll keep monitoring. At least it looks like my marathon counts of a couple of weeks back look like they are behind me. I was starting to count the little b***ers in my sleep!