What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Amari]

I done 4 treatments OA 5 days apart a couple of month back with a significant mite drop after the treatments, 3 weeks ago the inspection tray was riddled with them again so i gassed them again, last week they was still a large number of mites dropping so i done them again, i will be checking the inspection tray tomorrow and hopefully the mite drop has slowed down.

I did the same 3 treatments 5 days apart starting 3rd of September. And starting the heather hives 2 weeks later.
From the first batch my highest drop last week after OA was 14( most hives 5 or less)
From the heather hives 64 from one , the others around 30.
I didn't check for brood, but I suspect given the previous 3 weeks cold weather that there was little or none.
I'm surprised it was so low as they were busy throughout September October and the first half of November.

My experience is similar to Millet. Zapped each of 8 hives x3, each 5 days apart, in September. Zapped again x1 a week ago. Varroa count today about 100 on all 8 hives. Disappointing result I think? If I had 20 colonies I'd like to do a controlled trial, treating only 10 colonies. Have any Forumites done this?

 

[Eyeman]

My experience is similar to Millet. Zapped each of 8 hives x3, each 5 days apart, in September. Zapped again x1 a week ago. Varroa count today about 100 on all 8 hives. Disappointing result I think? If I had 20 colonies I'd like to do a controlled trial, treating only 10 colonies. Have any Forumites done this?

I would look on the recent treatment as a great result especially if not much brood about. If your second treatment drops very few it would support you've got the numbers right down.

 

[Millet]

I checked again today and they must have been 250 to 300 mites on the inspection tray which is a lot worse than last year, last year i used a thymol treatment in August but i was not too keen on the dead brood on the open mesh floor so i forgot about the thymol treatment this year maybe that is why i am still getting a heavy mite drop, ? .
I cleaned the inspection tray and stuck it back in, i will check next week and decide if they need another blast .

 

[andyphibb]

if the drop is that high keep blasting! Do it twice a week for a month and see how many drop

 

[Millet]

if the drop is that high keep blasting! Do it twice a week for a month and see how many drop

Thank you for that but i think Twice per week for a month at this time of the year is a little bit over kill, i will Zap them next week if need be, after that the gods will have to sort them out.

 

[GaryB]

Thank you for that but i think Twice per week for a month at this time of the year is a little bit over kill, i will Zap them next week if need be, after that the gods will have to sort them out.

If OA vaping is believed to be the most effective kill method, why do you think you're are still getting these high drops. Do you think it's because they are not broodless while you're treating, or is it a big varroa load in the colony. I've seen postings from other members having similar large drops, and having to continue vaping. Is this just the nature of vaping, i.e you keep going until you achieve the low mite drop, or is there other factors in play. Not having vaped with OA, I would be very interested to know what your thoughts are on this.

 

[madasafish]

If you have a bad infestation and have brood - there will be more mites in brood than on flying bees.
So vaping will not work.
Even 5 day apart treatments will not work.

 

[Goran]

OA trickle one apiary. So far seems all as any season - OK. I say that cause here again are panicking that " some" had great " winter" losses already for " unknown" reasons..
I don't say I won't have winter losses ( winter is just heating up, when brood start in mid January then it will start to be serious).
What puzzles me that some reported that some colonies already start the brood on big or didn't stop. Mostly say it is due climate change, but I am somehow suspecting due incursion of illegal imports of A.m. ligustica and simmilar.. Such colonies will nature sort out but such a mess again we did by ourselves and afterward we panick around and ask others to clean up our mess..

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thank you for that but i think Twice per week for a month at this time of the year is a little bit over kill, i will Zap them next week if need be, after that the gods will have to sort them out.

Considering the way my bees close off significant areas of the space between the top of the frames in winter and then hunker down, I'd be suspicious that there are blind spots that don't get coated with vapour/powder while the bees are inactive. Possibly trickling achieves better distribution over the bees under these conditions?
LASI it would seem are forever poking around in their hives and this will be preventing/breaking sealing wax constructions so improving circulation for the treatment. I'm not going to start pulling frames apart in winter despite what research establishments do in the laboratory conditions, but I'll stick to sublimation treating when the colony is awake and bees moving around the frames to distribute the sublimate. If that means three treatments over five days in late autumn or other active times so be it.
Research is good but needs to relate to real world conditions before release. Bees are unlikely to be best served by the Microsoft method

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

vaping will not work.
Even 5 day apart treatments will not work.

Why not?

 

[Erichalfbee]

If OA vaping is believed to be the most effective kill method, why do you think you're are still getting these high drops. Do you think it's because they are not broodless while you're treating, or is it a big varroa load in the colony. I've seen postings from other members having similar large drops, and having to continue vaping. Is this just the nature of vaping, i.e you keep going until you achieve the low mite drop, or is there other factors in play. Not having vaped with OA, I would be very interested to know what your thoughts are on this.

I'll throw my opinion in
I had two hives that were dropping more mites than I would like at the end of October after the routine post harvest vape at the beginning of September. They were vaped again and dropped a total of 400 and 800. I don't have my notes. It might have been more. All 6 hives were vaped two weeks ago and drops were 0,0,0,0,10,12
I presume that rather than a failure in treatment those two hives were re-infested

 

[Millet]

If OA vaping is believed to be the most effective kill method, why do you think you're are still getting these high drops. Do you think it's because they are not broodless while you're treating, or is it a big varroa load in the colony. I've seen postings from other members having similar large drops, and having to continue vaping. Is this just the nature of vaping, i.e you keep going until you achieve the low mite drop, or is there other factors in play. Not having vaped with OA, I would be very interested to know what your thoughts are on this.

I am not 100% sure Gary, i had thought about late capped brood but i have not seen any wax capping on the inspection tray, i also thought along similar line to what John has said about a void of some kind in the hive where the vapour is not reaching the varroa.
Another thought is the two treatments have already killed most of the mites which have died in the empty cells and the bees are slowly cleaning the cells out.

 

[drex]

Let's not forget that varroa in hives is endemic. Even super hygienic etc bees will have varroa. The aim of treatment is to keep the levels down to a level that will induce no significant harm to the colony. I do not count individual mites, just put the board in and a week later have a look and grade as " ok"," keep an eye on these", and " oh s**t". I usually treat in Autumn, and again in December. I vape or occasionally use thymol. Never seen a mite on a bee, and few, if any deformed wings. I use OMF and sometimes drone culling.
It's not very scientific but I will breed from queens, whose post treatment drop is low, and other performance traits are good.

 

[masterBK]

Treated all 30 of my double brood National hives with OA dribble. Found two hives a bit light and may get some fondant in a few weeks time when I go down to put the woodpecker nets on. Not sure why they are light as my records indicate they were well fed in september. All but four colonies were quite strong with one a bit on the nasty side today (my Tory hive!). Also set some little nipper traps in my bee shed as found mouse droppings there today.

 

[GaryB]

I'll throw my opinion in
I had two hives that were dropping more mites than I would like at the end of October after the routine post harvest vape at the beginning of September. They were vaped again and dropped a total of 400 and 800. I don't have my notes. It might have been more. All 6 hives were vaped two weeks ago and drops were 0,0,0,0,10,12
I presume that rather than a failure in treatment those two hives were re-infested

I am not 100% sure Gary, i had thought about late capped brood but i have not seen any wax capping on the inspection tray, i also thought along similar line to what John has said about a void of some kind in the hive where the vapour is not reaching the varroa.
Another thought is the two treatments have already killed most of the mites which have died in the empty cells and the bees are slowly cleaning the cells out.

Let's not forget that varroa in hives is endemic. Even super hygienic etc bees will have varroa. The aim of treatment is to keep the levels down to a level that will induce no significant harm to the colony. I do not count individual mites, just put the board in and a week later have a look and grade as " ok"," keep an eye on these", and " oh s**t". I usually treat in Autumn, and again in December. I vape or occasionally use thymol. Never seen a mite on a bee, and few, if any deformed wings. I use OMF and sometimes drone culling.
It's not very scientific but I will breed from queens, whose post treatment drop is low, and other performance traits are good.

Thanks for your responses. I think we have a good cross section of experience and observational beekeeping. It is as I suspected, that OA vaping is the most effective method, but you need to keep your "eye on the ball", very much like beekeeping in general...

 

[Noddy]

OA vaped the hives

 

[piggy]

OA with Varrox 8 double brood and 2 nucs. I don't use mouse guards, so will give any mice an unwanted xmas present. Seasons greetings to all.

 

[rje66]

Found a full sheet of 70mm insulation in a skip near apiary, so grabbed it and made up 2 bonnets.

 

[Goran]

Yesterday OA trickle 2nd apiary.. On time.. Today day temp below zero, frost on the trees as New Year's decoration, no snow..
This apiary site is sheltered, all OK.. Better is top of the hill, exposed to all..

 

[madasafish]

5c today, dry, minimal wind blowing into hive entrances. Ideal for vaping. So I did...