Worst winter ever

[Hivemaker.]

What should my vaporising regime be? I did not realise that there can be multiple treatments, as you suggest.

Yes you can use multiple treatments if needed and wishing to use oxalic, but best to check if they actually need treating first, you could do a sugar shake test or alcohol wash to give you an idea of what the mite situation is.

 

[wessexmario]

Hi all,
Regarding vapping, how can something so damaging to humans not be bad for bees? All that grey horrible dust laying about the hive for the bees to clear up infinite number of times during the season. Just asking...

Bees don't have soft tissue lungs like humans. They breathe through a number of holes in their cuticle which connect to breathing tubes, a completely different physiology. The dust from vaporisation hardly disturbs the bees, but it's strong enough to damage the mouth parts of the varroa.

one way of looking at the action of oxalic acid is to think of the effect of it on a mite being like us drinking car battery acid, but the effect on a bee is like us drinking lemonade.

 

[Hivemaker.]

one way of looking at the action of oxalic acid is to think of the effect of it on a mite being like us drinking car battery acid, but the effect on a bee is like us drinking lemonade.

Or lemon juice...http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8326

 

[Nige.Coll]

Nosema has caught me out this year.
I fed thymolated syrup, 90% had new comb, all new queens that layed well. And they are struggling now.
Varroa was under control no viruses, the swarm had DWV but mine never had.

I need to put 4 into Nucs and spray with thymol syrup, it's all i can find to do.

Get the microscope soon and apparently the slides used for sperm counts are ace for nosema counting.

 

[Eyeman]

Nosema has caught me out this year.
I fed thymolated syrup, 90% had new comb, all new queens that layed well. And they are struggling now.

Sounds like you've done everything right! In fact more than most of us.
How do you know it's nosema???
Alec

 

[beeno]

Instant death is easy, but I was thinking more long term genetic effects.

 

[EKBee]

I use Oxalic but only once in winter
Bees have a similar make up to Varroa & other insects so the Oxalic must I feel
negatively affect them as well.
I worry that the repeated dosing that the queen gets from multiple applications can't be good for her (maybe not such an issue if you replace her yearly)
I guess it's the problem of trying to kill an insect on an insect no matter what you apply.
Not treating of course isn't an option

 

[Hivemaker.]

I guess it's the problem of trying to kill an insect on an insect no matter what you apply.

Varroa mites are not insects.

 

[Finman]

I worry that the repeated dosing that the queen gets from multiple applications can't be good for her (maybe not such an issue if you replace her yearly)

Don't worry. It is old knowledge. 10 years ago it was said that "only once in a winter" but no reasearcher has said "only once in queens lifetime".

 

[Nige.Coll]

Sounds like you've done everything right! In fact more than most of us.
How do you know it's nosema???
Alec

Poo on landing board and frame tops, 2 colonies slowly dwindling away 2 had tried to supercede and failed so Q- and after researching the chemicals used near them it's a known side effect from the sprays.
Symptoms fit perfectly.
Dead bees in freezer hold the proof i think.
Annoyed really as they were fine going into winter no signs of anything wrong.

 

[Amari]

BUT
You don't do it just the once.
Three or four times at five day intervals and 98% of the varroa are hit.

Thanks for that. Message understood

 

[Thymallus]

and after researching the chemicals used near them it's a known side effect from the sprays.

Would you mind posting some details about the sprays used that cause nosema and the source(s) of the information?
I'd be interested to know what they are.

 

[itma]

...
Get the microscope soon and apparently the slides used for sperm counts are ace for nosema counting.

For Nosema infection level estimating, read up on Randy Oliver's "Quick Squash" method. (Based on Sequential sampling.) Much simpler (and likely much more accurate) than controlling bee-mash dilution followed by precise counting ...

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-15-an-improved-method-for-nosema-sampling/
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-16-the-quick-squash-method/

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, that's a good method and the one I use

 

[Nige.Coll]

Would you mind posting some details about the sprays used that cause nosema and the source(s) of the information?
I'd be interested to know what they are.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070182

Mainly fungicides at my apiary.

https://scholar.google.co.uk/schola...+on+honeybees&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_vis=1

 

[Nige.Coll]

Thanks Itma bookmarked those links.

 

[For want of a better word]

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-13-simple-microscopy-of-nosema/#equipment

Excellent!

Yeghes da

 

[Amari]

For Nosema infection level estimating, read up on Randy Oliver's "Quick Squash" method. (Based on Sequential sampling.) Much simpler (and likely much more accurate) than controlling bee-mash dilution followed by precise counting ...

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-15-an-improved-method-for-nosema-sampling/
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-16-the-quick-squash-method/

Ouch, itma, reading those articles has given me a headache and reduced my faith in the value of nosema assessment. To quote the articles: "Let me warn you, that if you actually start sampling for nosema, it will give you much more to worry about".
Anyone want to buy my microscope?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, no point in sampling unless symptoms suggest it.

 

[Thymallus]

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070182

Mainly fungicides at my apiary.

https://scholar.google.co.uk/schola...+on+honeybees&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5&as_vis=1

Thanks for those.