How many mites in colony is giving a drop of 27 +- over 3 days?
Look at the FERA booklet. It tells you.....but you need to think about it.
Threshold of 1000 mites in colony (50000 bees) is considered point to treat?
I don't necessarily follow that. I reduce the mite loading as low as possible for ensuring healthy winter bees. Irrespective of loading, usually.
If that figure was correct there should be very few treating with oxalic acid? I am one of the few that don't treat with oxalic acid unless felt necessary.
This word 'treat' has connotations of chemicals. A sugar roll as a treatment and first capped brood removal is fairly 'non-invasive' with regards to honey crop or brood.
September treat with Apiguard... hope for massive drop?
There should never be a massive drop. Not if the beek is up to speed with checking and attacking the mite at every appropriate opportunity.
As said previously, unless I had reason to believe the mite loading was very low indeed, treatment with thymol (not apiguard, for me) is carried out to ensure the winter bee brood has minimum molestation from the mite. That is more important to me than actua lmite loading. If the mite count is fairly low the FERA booklet effectively says don't treat! (which for me would likely mean they need an organic acid treatment mid-winter - and I try to avoid oxalic treatment. So you can see from this that I don't actually do all they say, all of the time. I think out my strategy and take appropriate actions for the best welfare of my bees.
Oxallic acid by trickle or sublimation in the depths of winter?
There you go again. If mite loadings are low, you should not be treating (per Itma and the bee inspectors, if not the FERA booklet)?
Trickle only when no brood?
And sublimate at that time too (depths of winter).
AS in spring ( to rid colony of mite in brood cells)?
Nooo. A/S means Artificial Swarming as a swarm control measure. Shook swarm might be a better way or an alternative.
Keep icing sugar for cakes!
I use it for some manipulations eg sugar rolling. Not often, but it is an option if required.
Seriously there seems to be some very confusing and conflicting advice.......
Not really. If only the beek were to think about the problem, and all the options, there need be little confusion.
Doing nothing is not the answer.
Depends at what point you decide to do nothing! With a light loading, that decision is the correct one for most situations.
Can thymolated syrup be used as a spring feed at 1:1 ????
Yes, but the risk of thymolated syrup in the honey will be greatly increased! Why should they need it? If enough is fed the previous autumn. Thymolated syrup may have an effect on varroa, but I don't really count it as a 'varroa treatment'.
Still confused? Probably.
RAB
