Winter varroa treatment/ stopvarroa spray

[Hux70]

Got my first hive last may and I've just noticed a few varroa that have dropped through the mesh floor. Obviously this has got me worried so what would be the quickest easiest way to get rid of them. Anyone have any experience of stopvarroa spray? Its organic and guaranteed to work. Any advice welcome. Thanks

 

[Ian123]

Am guessing the spray is oxalic based? Rather late for a single treatment as well. Easy option would be wait for the weather to improve and slip a apivar strip in. I would ask why you did not do any autumn treatment though.

 

[Poly Hive]

Anything that claims to kill 100% of varroa is lying.

It's that simple. And they make that claim on their website so they are liars.

I wouldn't trust it with the proverbial bargepole.

If it sounds too good to be true.............

You noticed it was not a UK site surely? Trade descriptions here would make short shrift of that nonsense.

PH

 

[drex]

Never heard of it and can find little info on it on the net. Like PH, having read their web site, it reads a bit like snake oil, but who knows.
All hives have varroa. What you need to know is how many? Several methods for doing this.

In theory you must use only treatment registered as such with veterinary authorities. Several ignore that, as the products are expensive.

Two main treatments, those based on thymol ( which is used when temps are up I.e. Summer) and those based on oxalic acid, or other organic acids. Oxalic can be used at any time of year.

I usually use thymol around August and oxalic in Nov/Dec. The late summer treatment is the important one as it is applied before the winter bees are produced, hence you know they will be healthier to last over winter.

Have a look at varroa control on Beebase website.

Unless you have Varroa "resistant" bees it is important to treat in a timely fashion. In your position I would tend to use oxalic acid now ( even if it is late - it does not kill the varroa in sealed brood). The easiest way is by the dribble method, but having the equipment I would vapouriser. I prefer to avoid the more "insecticide" treatments like Apistan, but they are effective too.

A month after treatment I would then monitor varroa levels to see how effective the treatment had been

 

[herman1VB]

drex, thanks for advises.

 

[drex]

The timings are obviously for my part of the UK and UK rules and regulations

 

[Buzzlodge]

Yep, its snake oil sold from the USA. Unapproved product too. Avoid.

 

[Poly Hive]

Anything that states it takes out 100% Varroa is lying.

It's that simple.

Until the magic bullet is invented and verified at some point in the future, if I am lucky to live that long.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

Which, Hux70, brings us back to did you do an autumn treatment? What with and what are you going to do now?

 

[Hux70]

So I checked at the end of sept and there was no sign at all so not really knowing what I was doing I decided to leave it. Now, over a 24hour period there is probably 6-8 mites dropped through the floor. The bees are very active at the moment and none seem to be carrying them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

So I checked at the end of sept and there was no sign at all so not really knowing what I was doing I decided to leave it. Now, over a 24hour period there is probably 6-8 mites dropped through the floor. The bees are very active at the moment and none seem to be carrying them.

Likely you should have treated in the autumn
How did you check? Because a visual check is insufficient. You have to do a sugar shake or alcohol wash for accuracy. My advice to beginners is to treat regardless in your first season till you are experienced enough to monitor properly. Having said that many experienced beekeepers treat anyway as varroa are always there. Autumn is a crucial time to ensure the bees going through winter are healthy.
Do you have access to a mate with a vaporiser to vape the bees three times?
If not I might wait for the first fine day when the bees are flying and put in a couple of Apivar strips.

 

[Ian123]

So I checked at the end of sept and there was no sign at all so not really knowing what I was doing I decided to leave it. Now, over a 24hour period there is probably 6-8 mites dropped through the floor. The bees are very active at the moment and none seem to be carrying them.

You won’t see most of the varroa on bees!! Most will be under them.

 

[Poly Hive]

Most of the varroa will be in the brood cells.

I politely suggest some reading up on the lifecycle of what is your main enemy.

They are not called destructor for nothing.

PH

 

[GillianS]

What I did in the Apiary Today

The first reasonably warm day today 12 degrees. so did a quick inspection of my 4 hives and was pleasantly surprised to find bees in all of them. ( One of them was particularly sparse of bees in October and I didn't expect it to last the winter, although I know its not over yet!) decided to treat them all with oxalic acid vaporiser and hopefully will get low counts in the next couple of weeks. they also all had plenty of fondant still available.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The first reasonably warm day today 12 degrees. so did a quick inspection of my 4 hives and was pleasantly surprised to find bees in all of them. ( One of them was particularly sparse of bees in October and I didn't expect it to last the winter, although I know its not over yet!) decided to treat them all with oxalic acid vaporiser and hopefully will get low counts in the next couple of weeks. they also all had plenty of fondant still available.

How much brood was there?

 

[GillianS]

It wasn't really the best conditions weather wise as there was a bit of a breeze blowing and I didn't want to risk chilling the Bees, hopefully I'll get a chance to get a full inspection in the next couple of weeks. I was just quickly looking down the frames and through the clear crown boards.

 

[Millet]

It will be a good couple of months yet before you can open up and check for brood..i am south of you and in the Alnwick area and my hives will not be cracked open till the end of April or even later weather dependent..
Varroa wise if you have vaped them do them again 5 days apart for 4 vapes..some say 3 vapes but i find a 4th and 5th vape harmless to bees but deadly to Varroa..

 

[Erichalfbee]

It wasn't really the best conditions weather wise as there was a bit of a breeze blowing and I didn't want to risk chilling the Bees, hopefully I'll get a chance to get a full inspection in the next couple of weeks. I was just quickly looking down the frames and through the clear crown boards.

As Millet which is why I asked.
Far too early to open up and too late to get away with just the one Oxalic.

 

[user 819]

Hux could give vaping a try but will need to carry out a series of four or five vapes at 5 day intervals to cover brood that will be emerging, any vaping will only take out the theretic mites.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Hux could give vaping a try but will need to carry out a series of four or five vapes at 5 day intervals to cover brood that will be emerging, any vaping will only take out the theretic mites.

For new beekeepers, Hemo is referring to a "phoretic" stage of a mites life cycle, when it is being transported by a bee, as opposed to the breeding stage when it's in a honey bee brood cell.

CVB