Varroa treatment methods

[Ely]

I have two questions really

1. What is your preferred choice of varroa treament?

2. What time of year is this treatment most suitable?

 

[Bob Bee]

Being new to this whole Varoa treatment thing, I've spent a good deal of time trying make some sense of it all and have come to the conclusion that I will treat at the end of august (ish) with Thymol and in January (early) with Oxalic. As I did last year.
I will then monitor the numbers/bee condition and only do additional treatments if I become concerned.
Not for me drone combing and weekly squirting s of proprietary cleaner, unless here is a threat to my bees.

 

[justme]

I use hivemakers recipe and oxalic if needed. Theres a thread under stickies with recipe on, also one for nosema.

 

[MxThomas]

Ely,
Your questions seem (to me) to imply that you are asking about a single treatment approach, whereas the general view is that we need to adopt forms of multiple approach, through Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

So back to basics: the approach one takes should be based on an assessment of the problem - which for varroa is primarily about assessing numbers of varroa in the colony as the bees move through each stage of their lifecycle. Moreover, the treatment should be part of an IPM approach that is matched to the numbers of varroa, but which will always have more than one component across a season, by which I mean more than one of: oxalic acid treatment, shook swarm, drone brood culling, artificial swarm, thymol, and possibly more. Each is particularly effective when administered at its right time within the bees' annual lifecycle (and can be largely ineffective or damaging to the bees outside of that time).

The exact treatment will vary year to year, based on that assessment of the varroa numbers. If you have not done so then go to the Fera site and read (and follow as appropriate) its excellent guide "Managing Varroa".. It is here, under Fera's Advisory Leaflets, Training Manuals & Fact Sheets page: https : // secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=167.
(sorry for the cut-up link, but I am not allowed to post links untill having completed 10 posts.)

 

[Erichalfbee]

Brood breaks have been foisted on me as I had two hives swarm last April My own fault.

Apilife var in the autumn
Possibly oxalic Christmas time.

 

[Ely]

Ely,
Your questions seem (to me) to imply that you are asking about a single treatment approach, whereas the general view is that we need to adopt forms of multiple approach, through Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

So back to basics: the approach one takes should be based on an assessment of the problem - which for varroa is primarily about assessing numbers of varroa in the colony as the bees move through each stage of their lifecycle. Moreover, the treatment should be part of an IPM approach that is matched to the numbers of varroa, but which will always have more than one component across a season, by which I mean more than one of: oxalic acid treatment, shook swarm, drone brood culling, artificial swarm, thymol, and possibly more. Each is particularly effective when administered at its right time within the bees' annual lifecycle (and can be largely ineffective or damaging to the bees outside of that time).

The exact treatment will vary year to year, based on that assessment of the varroa numbers. If you have not done so then go to the Fera site and read (and follow as appropriate) its excellent guide "Managing Varroa".. It is here, under Fera's Advisory Leaflets, Training Manuals & Fact Sheets page: https : // secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=167.
(sorry for the cut-up link, but I am not allowed to post links untill having completed 10 posts.)

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out the link. Cheers

Oh, and welcome!

 

[RoofTops]

The fera leaflet is a good introduction but it is out of date.

 

[Chris Luck]

I have two questions really

1. What is your preferred choice of varroa treament?

Zero, zilch, rien, nothing at all, I leave them well alone with no treatments apart from allowing swarming to take place.

Perhaps not for the faint hearted or people that like to play with their bees but it works for me year after year after year after year after year...

Chris

 

[BBG]

The fera leaflet is a good introduction but it is out of date.

RT have you an up to date method please?

 

[Headnavigator]

No-one has yet suggested the John Harding method of dowsing to site colonies on the intersection of two so-called 'geopathic stress lines'. Easy enough to find if you are an experienced dowser (or know someone who is). Costs nothing.

 

[Queens59]

I tried something similar HeadNavigator for a bit this summer - I had 2 active patches in the garden...over undergroundwater courses. The girls became v v active - but also into the bees from hell. Moved them to the other end of the garden and got my lovely placid bees back.

 

[Headnavigator]

Interesting! Mine are the opposite, placid and not overly active or prolific, but pretty varroa-free, sited on an intersection and facing North into an 8ft hedge 1.5m away. Of course it all depends on the strain of bees in the first place, and their inherent hygienic properties. Be interested if someone with a number of colonies of same strain were to research this . . . , but maybe someone has? If so, I'd like to hear.