Varroa problem

[Heather]

And I used this thread about Apivar from vet only in a quiz- and got shouted down from another bee keeper who said 'cannot buy- must not use- do not teach such bad information'...

 

[Chris B]

And I used this thread about Apivar from vet only in a quiz- and got shouted down from another bee keeper who said 'cannot buy- must not use- do not teach such bad information'...

I hope you stood your ground Heather.

 

[Finman]

.
I wonder where that Apistan idea came from now?

And where are those researches, or is it just "barefoot alternative medicine"-

.

 

[richardbees]

" After reading this thread I bought some apivar from an online bee vet. I am pleased I didn't delay longer until December and oxalic treatment. I got a drop of 1500 mites in the first 24 hours."


Makes me think there's just a teeny weeny chance I'm maybe stuck in my ways!

 

[Chris B]

For anyone who isn't clear due to all the similar sounding brand names:

Pyrethroid strips. Brand names Apistan and Bayvarol. You can buy over the counter freely without prescription. However, there is a degree of mite resistance to pyrethroids so it's a bit chancy to rely on them. (You may remember heavy winter losses about 5 or 6 years ago which BBKA kicked up a big stink about - strangely coincided with big increase in mite resistance).

Amitraz strips. Brand names Apivar and Biowar. You can only buy it and use it with a prescription from a vet. Mites would build resistance if overused but the requirement for a presciption has limited use in the UK so at present it's still highly effective.

Thymol. Brand names include Apiguard and Api Life Var. Again can be bought freely without prescription. I'm not aware of any mite resistance but because of the temperature dependency (and possibly other factors?) the efficacy can be variable.

The above is not an exhaustive list of all varroa treatments or all brand names by the way.

 

[Finman]

" After reading this thread I bought some apivar from an online bee vet. I am pleased I didn't delay longer until December and oxalic treatment. I got a drop of 1500 mites in the first 24 hours."


Makes me think there's just a teeny weeny chance I'm maybe stuck in my ways!

That is well done and in this case you are right.

We have a proverb: a Finnish soldier is equal to 10 russian solder but then comes thet 11th russian soldier"

From couple of hives I have taken brood away and I have given oxalic.
In those hives I have had wingless brood on the floor of the hive in autumn inspection.

.
.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Saskia SCHNEIDER, Dorothea EISENHARDT, Eva RADEMACHER
Institute of Biology/Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Received 25 March 2011 – Revised 19 August 2011 – Accepted 27 September 2011

Abstract – Oxalic acid dehydrate (OA) in the application form of trickling (3.5% solution) has shown a good bee tolerance. However, negative long-term effects of the treatment on honeybees are expected. The sublethal
effects of OA on division of labour, activity, olfactory learning and the longevity of Apis mellifera were studied.
Newly emerged workers were treated with 3.5% OA solution by topical application (dosage 175 μg/bee) and introduced into a colony. Behavioural observations were carried out and the longevity of every worker was recorded. To investigate the learning behaviour, foragers were trained in a classical olfactory conditioning paradigm, the olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response. These experiments revealed sublethal effects of OA on Apis mellifera. The treatment caused a significant decrease in worker activity, nursing behaviour and longevity. Treated bees also showed significantly more self-grooming and a higher response in the olfactory conditioning than bees of the control group.

Judging by the publication dates this is fairly recent research, and some say that certain pesticides are supposed to be dangerous because of their 'sub-lethal' impact on honey bees, with reported effects being very similar to what's listed above.

Separately, I know of some beekeepers who queen trap (using queen excluders to isolate the queen on a single frame) then remove brood to be sure of a broodless period when Oxalic Acid can be used.

 

[Finman]

Judging by the publication dates this is fairly recent research, and some say that certain pesticides are supposed to be dangerous because of their 'sub-lethal' impact on honey bees, with reported effects being very similar to what's listed above.

.

In practice that "sub lethal" is nonsense. All hives are alive in June and queen are OK.
Oxalic has not killed any of my hives but mites has done.

Many are afraid of his own shadow.

 

[BeeNice]

Third in Championship on return back to F1, is enough for me to put him at the top of my list

Sorry have to disagree, wrong forum, Alonso!!! Kimi 2nd. Can't wait for the final race's of the season, and to start beekeeping again in the spring (getting back on track!)
regard
Steven

 

[Finman]

.
I remember times when varroa treatment was against law in Britain. (=5 years ago)

So, many tried to avoid prison using 20 years old treatment methods.

Why you got only 4 kg honey from hives? - Because most advanced beeks are in prisons.

 

[richardbees]

I remember times when varroa treatment was against law in Britain. (=5 years ago)

?

I remember Bayvarol being launched in the UK c '97 and it worked a treat = two strips left in the BB over winter. It was only after it was withdrawn because the mites were developing Pyrethroid resistance that I started having a real problem with V again....

 

[mbc]

I remember times when varroa treatment was against law in Britain. (=5 years ago)

?

I remember Bayvarol being launched in the UK c '97 and it worked a treat = two strips left in the BB over winter. It was only after it was withdrawn because the mites were developing Pyrethroid resistance that I started having a real problem with V again....

Lol.
One of the mechanisms for resistant varroa developing is thought to be exposure to long term low levels of pyrethroid ie. people leaving strips in the hive over winter.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I remember times when varroa treatment was against law in Britain. (=5 years ago)

?

I remember Bayvarol being launched in the UK c '97 and it worked a treat = two strips left in the BB over winter. It was only after it was withdrawn because the mites were developing Pyrethroid resistance that I started having a real problem with V again....

Launched before 97, it has not been withdrawn as far as i am aware.

How long did you leave the strips in for?

The resistance was caused initially (speeded up) by people who never followed the instructions for its use.

 

[Finman]

.
How many on this forum knows or remember the discussions of residual of varroa treatment stuffs.

It was seriously taken that fat soluble stuffs accumulated more and more into foundations, - and to honey.

This research is from year 1999 Switzerland, 13 years ago.

[PDF]
Acaricide residues in honey, beeswax and propolis - Agroscope

 

[Finman]

The resistance was caused initially (speeded up) by people who never followed the instructions for its use.

Italy was the first country to meet the resistancy.
Finland was very early after that, and the reason was probably the queen import with assistat bees with their mites.

Mites were treated in queen cages with tiny Apistan strips and the rest is history.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Italy was the first country to meet the resistancy.

First cases discovered in 2002 Here.

 

[ROACHMAN]

I had the same problem with one of my hives. Treated it with Apiguard as per instructions. Noticed last week a couple of bees with deformed wing virus crawling around in front of the hive so put in the observation board only to find 30 varroa over a 2 day period. Put in 2 strips of Apistan and found about 100 mites after the first day.

Not sure why the Apiguard didnt work on that particular colony, seemed to have worked on the others

 

[Finman]

.
Look here

2002 University of Sheffield made a research in Texas.

It was found that in some hives apistan killed only 17% of mites instead of 90%

STEPHEN J. MARTIN1,∗, PATTI J. ELZEN2 and WILLIAM R. RUBINK2
1Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences,
Sheffield University, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
2USDA, Honey Bee Unit, 2413 E. Highway 83, Weslaco, TX 78596, USA
(Received 3 May 2001; accepted in revised form 18 October 2002)
Abstract. The reproduction of pyrethroid-resistant Varroa destructor mite, a brood parasite of
honey bees, was observed inWeslaco, Texas, and the results compared with known susceptible
mite populations from other studies. Seven Apis mellifera colonies that had mite populations
resistant to the acaricide Apistan® were used. Pyrethroid-resistance was confirmed when
only 17% rather than 90% of mites confined in dishes containing Apistan® died after 12 h
of exposure. The average number of eggs laid by resistant mites invading worker and drone
cells was 4.4 and 5.4 respectively. This is similar to the number of eggs laid by susceptible
mites in worker (4.4–4.8) or drone (4.7–5.5) cells. Also the average number of fertilised
V. destructor female mites produced by resistant mites in worker (1.0) and drone (2.1) cells
were similar to the number produced by susceptible mites in worker (0.9) and drone (1.9–2.2)
cells. In addition, no major differences between the resistant and susceptible mite populations
were observed in either worker or drone cells when six different reproductive categories
and offspring mortality rates were compared. Therefore, it appears that there is little or no
reproductive fitness cost associated with pyrethroid resistance in V. destructor in Texas.

 

[Finman]

First cases discovered in 2002 Here.

I found them in my yard 2002/3 when 60% of my hives died.

some evidencies

Bruneau, E., Jacobs, F. and Trouiller, J. 1998. Results of a campaign for the detection of Varroa
resistance to pyrethroids in Belgium.

Fernandez, N. and Omar, G. 1997. New indications of decrease in the efficiency of the active
ingredient fluvalinate. Boletín del Colmenar 4: 10–11 (in Spanish).

Hillesheime, E., Ritter, W. and Bassand, D. 1996. First data on resistance mechanisms of
Varroa jacobsoni (Oud.) against tau-fluvalinate ...
Germany?

 

[Hivemaker.]

I found them in my yard 2002/3 when 60% of my hives died.

I lost a few,but many more were weak, took to using formic acid first and then thymol at a later date, turned out to be a good season in the end. But Gabon was no longer any use.