varroa treatments .. a full list of the options

[citrus]

I read with interest everyone getting involved in vaporising etc

Is there a good one stop shop page for us newbies that details the pros cons on all of the options for Varroa treatments (if not can we make one ?)

Last year I used -> api-life-var (the evil smelling biscuit)

A friend swears by -> apivar
(so was going to try that)

Amitraz -> mentioned on another post here -

maqs -> mentioned on another post here .....(looks scary)

...i guess there are lots of other options too .. but struggling to find the sticky with all the info

 

[Erichalfbee]

Apivar is Amitraz marketed by Bee-equipment as Apitraz

 

[Beefriendly]

but struggling to find the sticky with all the info

Not really going to be a definitive sticky as there are far to many depends.
Mainly it depends where you live and when your nectar flows stop and when you are planning to treat.
If early say like now then thymol based products (apiguard or apilife-var)can be quite effective. If like many round me your bees will still be on the heather until mid Sept then it's too damn cold then for thymol things to work properly.
Apivar and Apitraz are miticides that are now available off-prescription in the UK. The active ingredient in both is amitraz. These work well. But are expensive at around £30 for enough strips for 5 hives.
As does vaporizing Oxalic acid (when done properly) and is far cheaper even when having to use the abominable legal stuff. Takes a bit more effort but is far cheaper if you run more hives.

 

[citrus]

Not really going to be a definitive sticky as there are far to many depends.
Mainly it depends where you live and when your nectar flows stop and when you are planning to treat.
If early say like now then thymol based products (apiguard or apilife-var)can be quite effective. If like many round me your bees will still be on the heather until mid Sept then it's too damn cold then for thymol things to work properly.
Apivar and Apitraz are miticides that are now available off-prescription in the UK. The active ingredient in both is amitraz. These work well. But are expensive at around £30 for enough strips for 5 hives.
As does vaporizing Oxalic acid (when done properly) and is far cheaper even when having to use the abominable legal stuff. Takes a bit more effort but is far cheaper if you run more hives.

fair enough ... but tempting to make a table of the options (and the lookalikes) ... then perhaps add a temperature/rough time range and rough cost ...

appreciate for me in surrey (with ivy due) .."my options" is different for friends in colder climes /different forage options ..

but are there any (good/current) options I missed in the list ?

 

[Beefriendly]

fair enough ... but tempting to make a table of the options (and the lookalikes) ...

That would be very useful information to have in one place.
I just wish so many of them didn't start with api...

 

[Mint Bee]

http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/ProductInformationDatabase/

put 'bees' in target species filter

 

[B+.]

Is there a good one stop shop page for us newbies that details the pros cons on all of the options for Varroa treatments (if not can we make one ?)
<snip>
...i guess there are lots of other options too .. but struggling to find the sticky with all the info

Another option is to go treatment free. However, I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner or anyone without bees that have been specifically bred for varroa tolerance.

 

[ianorsven]

Hope this link works.

Good info and Table 4 P28 provides a summary

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=16

 

[citrus]

Hope this link works.

Good info and Table 4 P28 provides a summary

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=16

thanks very much will have a look !

 

[For want of a better word]

Whatever happened to Vimto, Rhubarb leaves, Psuedo scorpoins, Nematode worms, and the GM Varoa mite that self destructed?

Then there was Talc, icing sugar, diatomaceous earth and that device that sat under the colony emitting Ultrasonic waves that disturbed the mites so they bugged off?

And of course the electrocution of the mites in specially made plastic drone comb... and Thornes Drone comb varroa trap.....

Old coffee grouts placed in a tray below the colony.... and the banana skins....

And not forgetting the open mesh floor, which most beekeepers now seem to block off with a slider insert?

Any more

 

[bingevader]

Another option is to go treatment free. However, I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner or anyone without bees that have been specifically bred for varroa tolerance.

You also need colonies (plural) as you could expect losses of between 20-25%.

MAQS seem to have a bad press. In the beginning it stemmed from people not following the instructions and completely unwrapping the packet and placing the strips directly onto the frames.
People seem to have bad experiences on here.
I've only used it once on one hive, so hardly scientific.
It was in the spring and I was hoping for some honey.
It worked a treat.

 

[Eyeman]

Oxalic Acid Crystals, 100g or 500g

Thorne still selling OA for hive cleaning. No disclaimer on the website that it isn't licenced to treat varroa.

 

[B+.]

You also need colonies (plural) as you could expect losses of between 20-25%.

Where did you read that? It's obviously not from experience so what are you basing this on?
If I lost 25% of my bees every year, I doubt I'd have any bees at all after all these years.
I'm getting fed up with the absolute tosh people on this forum talk!

 

[rook66]

Whatever happened to Vimto, Rhubarb leaves, Psuedo scorpoins, Nematode worms, and the GM Varoa mite that self destructed?

Then there was Talc, icing sugar, diatomaceous earth and that device that sat under the colony emitting Ultrasonic waves that disturbed the mites so they bugged off?

And of course the electrocution of the mites in specially made plastic drone comb... and Thornes Drone comb varroa trap.....

Old coffee grouts placed in a tray below the colony.... and the banana skins....

And not forgetting the open mesh floor, which most beekeepers now seem to block off with a slider insert?

Any more

Dont forget Pedro and fgmo, he kept us entertained for a while.

 

[TooBee...]

Where did you read that? It's obviously not from experience so what are you basing this on?
If I lost 25% of my bees every year, I doubt I'd have any bees at all after all these years

Here in Ireland from what I've seen and heard, 25% pushing up to 40% is pretty standard, and that's NOT for beginners, I'm talking about people that have been beekeeping for over 30 + years with 40 + hives. I recall reading that (Southern) Ireland's average was close to 28%, think it was one of the recent years. All the beginners I know are planning on keeping at least 4 to around 6 to 8 hives, a big reason for such large numbers of hives for beginners is because they are expecting high losses.

Maybe should also mention, everything mentioned above is in the context of all beekeepers treating for varroa - I know of no one that does not treat.

Maybe should also mention that the primary characteristic being bred for by the main providers of nucs / queens seems to be color, I've not heard anyone talk about breeding for varroa resistance, just overwintering ability.

 

[For want of a better word]

Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheers View Post
Whatever happened to Vimto, Rhubarb leaves, Psuedo scorpoins, Nematode worms, and the GM Varoa mite that self destructed?

Then there was Talc, icing sugar, diatomaceous earth and that device that sat under the colony emitting Ultrasonic waves that disturbed the mites so they bugged off?

And of course the electrocution of the mites in specially made plastic drone comb... and Thornes Drone comb varroa trap.....

Old coffee grouts placed in a tray below the colony.... and the banana skins....

And not forgetting the open mesh floor, which most beekeepers now seem to block off with a slider insert?

Any more
Dont forget Pedro and fgmo, he kept us entertained for a while.




Forgot to add the development of the ( Chek?) UV sun trap hive... where the hive was heated by solar radiation to a temperature that bees could just tolerate... but killed varroa!

Moth balls/ formic acid / acetic acid/ and embalming fluid........