What date are you treating for Varroa

[Lorenz]

Thx for that. It confirms what Vita say about it working better above 15C. Don't know if that will then be so for all thymol treatments. Also wonder about whether there might be a difference with poly hives.

 

[Tom Bick]

I have used the homemade version recently, and again this year, as it is cheaper, but a very experienced friend said this was mad and Apiguard is better????

This year my association are selling apiguard at £20 a box to treat 5 hives and I have for the same money bought a bag of Thymol and a bit of oil to treat 30 hives.

I easily made up some of the home made solution to treat 15 hives and prepared one piece of kitchen towel just to check on the absorption of the 20ml and it was perfect just need to put them in the hives and give it a go.

 

[mbc]

Why is it better.

You're paying for the ease of aplication IMO.
I use a homemade thymol treatment all round in the autumn but keep a tub of apiguard handy to put a sblodge or a smear here and there as I see fit during the season.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

I put hivemakers thymol on both of my hives on the 14th and they dont like it much they are out flying around by the hive like mad when the rain stops and starts.

 

[user 6228]

No option for what we do.....firefight as needed during the season and blanket oxalic approx winter solstice.

having both heather and ivy in abundance, and bees in funny hives we might well be with ITLD on this...

how anyone can use a calendar this year to say what should be done?

 

[Birds&Bees]

Possibly a silly question, but........
If you add thymol to the feed to stop it from going off, do you also need to do a thymol treatement?

 

[scuttlefish]

Apiguard by the 26th August and OA in winter - assuming the honey's ripe enough to take off this weekend!

Otherwise, Apiguard about a week after harvest, and I'll be feeding them sugar syrup with HiveAlive for that week, then OA (Apibioxal) in the winter.

 

[VEG]

but vita-europe says it is the activity of the bees that make it effective, ie they must be flying hence the 15c (or 17c europe), it is not just the internal temeperature but the external temperature that define the bees activity , it is the vita-europes viewsnot mine...they make the stuff, ifollow their advice

FAQ

5. Q: At what time of the year should I use Apiguard?
A: Apiguard is best applied in summer or autumn, outside the period of honeyflow. The external temperature should be above 15°C (60°F), which means that the colony is active. Distribution of
the Apiguard gel depends on the bees transporting it around the hive during the process of hive cleaning, and this activity increases as the external temperature rises. Application during honeyflows should be avoided in case of tainting the honey.

Never lost a colony to varroa yet so will keep on doing what I am doing, my bees are very active at anything above 8/9 deg.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Never lost a colony to varroa yet so will keep on doing what I am doing, my bees are very active at anything above 8/9 deg.

little black Bs then, shows that one size does not fit all, at 13c my london mongrels are starting to cluster

 

[oliver90owner]

I treat as and when I feel it is appropriate; dates dont come into it and I'm not a weather forecaster (they are NBG, anyway). Not needed to oxalic acid any colonies in winter for the last five years or more.

I do what is necessary when it is necessary.

 

[VEG]

Rab do you not give them oxalic because they dont need it or you dont like treating the bees with it?

 

[Rosti]

As with Veg & Co
I will likely be taking what HB crop I can, then extract and treat

Using apiguard and if necessary support stores with some flattened fondant under the crown board (to keep them going if the ivy has not yet come in for the month). I'll then give them the autumn syrup feed but wont be concerned if they dont take the lot because as with last year I will winter all hives and nucs with a slab of fondant over a feed hole. Worked a treat last year, zero losses including a late swarm basket case.

 

[REDWOOD]

Varroa Gard is the only thing I use.

 

[Haughton Honey]

I haven't yet decided whether to treat this Autumn or not, but will oxalic everything come mid-Winter.

I only feed fondant over the Winter period anyway (at the end of the ivy flow), so Autumn syrup feeding isn't really an issue.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

By starting apiguard later say on 29th September then at the end of the application the daytime maximum temperature on 10th Nov in London is 11c...and would have been below the 15c average daily maximum for four weeks

So what date should I start wearing my thermals?

 

[dpearce4]

incase anyone doubts the quality of hivemakers thymol treatment, i was in Payn es shop today and saw this product:-

http://www.paynesbeefar m.co.uk/varroa-control/thymovar-5-hives/

it is the same as his recipe and when i asked the guy behind the counter about it he said "they had started stocking it as some of the other products had melted their poly hives when used". (be aware anyone who has bought their poly hives).

 

[TOBY-3652]

started treatment on 1 hive yesterday. put boards to moniter mite drop in at 12 oclock had a quick peep at 5. this hive had 27 mites on it.. [i dont have to ask iff this is a lot] started treatment straight away.. funny enough this was a split off a hive that dropped over 7000 mites in a month last august