What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Macbear]

Autumn treatment to try to kill varroa that have bred through summer. Hoping to ensure optimum healthy bees going into winter. No treatment is 100% so a mop up around shortest day is also accepted practice.

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

 

[The Poot]

Formic Pro seems to have devastated two hives.
One - the BB just has empty combs and a few stores, the super [which is a deep] has plenty of stores, but bee numbers are too low for my liking. Will probably unite with a small split which I didn't treat, but only when I get a warmer day.
The second colony doesn't seem to have any brood, but plenty of stores and bees - a little room for laying, but as it was colder than I would like I didn't delve around the BB too much. Just wanted to get FP strips out, ent reducers back on, QE out and to get a quick look. Hoping the Q is just taking time out...
Facing a possibility of being down to a single colony by next March :-( Thank goodness I did the split in the summer. Back to Apiguard next season! I don't like a varroa treatment that may kill varroa AND my Qs if that is what has happened.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence with Maqs / Formic Pro unfortunately.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Echos of MAQS when it first became available

same beast, just a namechange

 

[Paul_Ward1]

Have you other hives? What are the drops there like?
I have one out of seven continuing to drop large numbers
I’m vaping every five days till I get only a few. I once had to do one seven times….. years ago, before I gave up and put in Apivar which led to none dropping at all. I guess the seventh one did it.

Thanks. Done three at 5 day intervals (last one today on 4 hives). 48hr mite drop was huge after OAV1, approx 200 after OAV2 and I will check the 3rd in a couple of days. What threshold do you use for the forced mite drop which would make you continue with further OAV?

 

[Erichalfbee]

What threshold do you use for the forced mite drop which would make you continue with further OAV?

20 and it has to be 24 hours not 48

 

[JamezF]

I thought the broodless period is in December.

Beekeeping myth. Some colonies may never be broodless (unless requeening etc.). Others may be broodless much earlier. There was a presentation at the NHS a few years back discussing colonies were found to be broodless for some part of November rather than December, though for one colony it might be right at the start of November and the one next to it could be at the end.

James