psafloyd,
I will treat while exploring other strategies.
Good. A convert. A thinking beek. As I said in a previous post, if you don't know what your situation is (ie lack of experience), that is the way to go. Simply exploring the other strategies at least leaves a chance that you may consider about the alternatives, which can be just as effective, and ensures you know a little more of the problems and choices available.
Regards, RAB
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rix,
Oliver, how do you determine, whether treatment with OA is needed or not?
I observe carefully throughout the season. I check mite levels in drone brood, look for phoretic mites, do mite-fall checks. I also practise IPM (integrated pest management) so that at every opportunity I can reduce the mite loading. Treating for mites with swarms, artificial swarms, shook swarms (and noting the drops from these, for future reference). I also watch for deformed bees in the hive (very few and far between, if mite levels are kept in check).
If at all high, I might drone cull, or queen trap.
There is a whole armoury of IPM techniques, each helping to keep the mites severely in check. I do not rely on 'hive cleansers' as these seem more like 'snake oil', so I do rely on effective observation and timely treatment of the colony.
At the end of the season the bees will be treated with thymol - carefully, to ensure good efficacy with minimal disturbance to the colony (some is unavoidable for high efficacy).
This is before the winter bees are in the making, so that damage by mites to the winter bees is minimal, not relying on oxalic acid to sort the mites after the winter bees are present as some appear to suggest.
I doubt most follow the regime of a once-only treatment per year for varroa, but it is often the impression given to new beeks that oxalic acid treatment is all that is necessary. People talk about 'untreated' colonies being at risk. I do actually treat mine, just differntly and not often with oxalic acid.
If my varroa drops/checks are satisfactory all summer, they will go through the winter perfectly well. This year some may well be treated with oxalic, as a precautionary measure, as not all checks have been carried out meticulously this last season.
I know full well that they will commence the new season with more varroa than if treated with oxalic acid trickling in midwinter. That will be a fact of life and the IPM will take care of that from early next spring. But, on the other side, there is a bank of building evidence that oxalic acid, although very effective against mites, can also affect the queen or the colony. I am therefore prudent not to take those other possible risks, if I do not need to.
For instance oxalic trickling is only recommended to be carried out once per year on a colony. Think about that carefully. Ask yourself a question. Why is that? There is only one bee in the colony that would be likely to get multiple doses - the queen.
She may be a breeding queen which I would like to keep into a second or third year (I have not managed a fourth year yet), so I, for one, do not wish to multiple-dose my queens.
Of course, beeks who change their queens annually would not be troubled by that scenario. Re-queen in the autumn, oxalic acid in the winter, queen gone before a second oxalic acid treatment (re-queened again). So you can understand why those beeks automatically do the treatment. Most hobby beeks likely don't religiously change queens every year - I certainly don't.
So the answer to your question is 'experience'.
RAB
My initials. The oliver 90 is a 1940s tractor.
Regards, RAB
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johna.
Get off your soapbox RAB.
Think about your beekeeping and the advice you hand out.
