Varroa treatment muddle

[Lolly Bee]

Hello, I'm new to, and loving beekeeping but I'm in a proper muddle about varroa treatment. What, when, where - so basically whole thing confuses me. It is now the end of July, what if anything should I be doing? My two hives are doing fine and varroa levels very low, but I don't want to risk it and go without. So a nice clear (and obviously everyone will have a different opinion and method!) description of what you recommend would be gratefully received in my befuddled state! Thank you.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi Lolly
The answer really is do they need treating?
But I would leave that till you have a little more experience.
Apiguard is easy to apply. You do it after you have taken honey off.
Apivar is an alternative.
The first is a gel on a little tray the second comes in strip form and is probably easier.
Next year you can explore other methods including vaping Oxalic acid or whether the bees need any treatment at all.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh and welcome to the best beekeeping forum ever.

 

[Lolly Bee]

Thank you and thank you Dani. Very helpful and concise.

 

[Ian123]

Hi Lilly.. numbers may appear low now but the real damage to the bees is done when bee numbers drop going into Autumn. Colonies that can pretty much out breed varroa in the main season find the mites concentrated in the dwindling brood. This leads to compromised Winter bees and the colony in a poor state for the winter ahead. Many myself include don’t bother counting mites, we know they are there and frankly any reduction in numbers will ensure the hive is in better health. Treatment periods vary some areas have late flows that beeks may want to take advantage of. I’d suggest treating shortly after you remove your crop and there’s various options, apiguard is ok if used correctly and temps remain high. So it’s better used earlier. I’d also consider some form of winter oxalic, it’s a treatment that ensures a clean a start as possible for the coming season. Meaning few issues and colonies in good health. Good luck ….Ian

 

[blackcloud]

Any harm you could possibly do by treating pales to insignificance compared with what the mites will do to your bees.
Honey off -its open season.
As suggested stick to the simple user friendly products for now and look at OA vaping or alternative for the near future.

Look up The Apiarist blog and his entries on mites.
The whole site a very easy and gentle but highly informative read.

It might be pure coincidence but after study and application of his methods I came out of spring with zero losses.

The fact that they all instantly exploded into swarm mode is beside the point