I have a question since the mites are new to me. In the last several years what controls have you tried n found effective? I think our latitudes n climates are similar. I read a lot but actually fighting these new little buggers will be a new challenge to say the least. I’ve got both solid n SBB avalible n ready. I bought n have practices with a Fogger ( fire breathing dragon if your not careful) . I’ve also looked at the Oxie Acid thingie as well. But for now ease into this new challenge with caution n vigilance.
All n all I am looking forward to regaining my close relationship with my bees. Kind of bubbling with excitement but understanding there is still a lot of work, observation, skill to gain yet. Any thots … I am all EARs as mom
use to say ! For now as need be I
Probably will lean toward the Mite Away Strips to get my Bee Sea Legs comfortable.
Well what a question
Thymol …Apiguard and Apilife Var are the traditional Autumn treatments here. I have used them and they work. They are temperature dependent and you can’t use them too late in the season. After harvest is the usual time. It takes three weeks to treat a colony and the bees hate it.
MAQS works well too and though some beekeepers rely on it as an autumn treatment, the fact that it can be associated with queen losses makes it safer to use when the bees can replace their queen…so earlier in the season, say end June for us in the UK. It’s OK to use with honey in the hive.
Both thymol and formic acid can put the queen off laying.
Some beekeepers like to insert a short frame into the brood nest three times in succession,say, so that the bees make drones then these are removed after capping. I don’t like to do this. I think the bees need their drones.
Both these are often backed up by trickling oxalic in winter.
I have gone over entirely to vaporising oxalic. It is gentle on the bees and you don’t even have to open the hive.
I hope this helps.
PS If you are going to use MAQS make sure you have an extra super on top so that the bees can get away from the fumes.
No I don’t like this idea either. Jo Schup from NBU (National Bee Unit) at Stoneleigh today said you are better doing a shook swarm and they will build up better afterwards. She said the small amount of brood you loose in comparison is better and a strong colony will build back up quickly - still wastes brood but less than a succession over 1 or 2 cycles
NBU are very fond of shook swarms. You are losing worker brood. You can of course do a shook swarm to get bees into a different format box and redistribute the brood. The only indication for a shook swarm in my book is for EFB not for varroa control
She was suggesting a shook swarm to keep the varroa in the brood nest (ie in capped Brood) perhaps she should have clarified “Drone Brood” but I think that was implied
Yes I understand that but you are still sacrificing worker brood. If you absolutely have to lose that drone brood then cut it out like Jeff does, or put a short frame in or add a frame of drone brood foundation so that the bees put drones where you can easily destroy them…
So it’s combination between “IPM” & “chemical” treatment,
I wonder what will happen then
Here in Indonesia, beekeepers used Mavrik (Fluvalinate) and right now they begin to use Apistan (Fluvalinate) too . .
Please Keep in contact about the inspections @Gerald_Nickel
Thank you
Uh, I will stay in touch. This next Saturday I will be attending a beekeeping class on inspection of our hives. If our weather is suitable/nice enough we will be inspecting real hives as a class. Cam on cho note on treatments n chemicals used there in Vietnam. I am hoping to use soft natural methods or mechanical … Too early for me to be forsure what I route I will use. I do not want to loss bees disease or chemical if possible. Beekeeping has changed a lot since I was a beekeeper in my teen years.
. I’ve also looked at the Oxie Acid thingie as well. But for now ease into this new challenge with caution n vigilance.