Lots of mites after 42 days of Apivar, now what?

Beekeeping - Basics
1

Hi everyone,

I put two Apivar strips into each of my two 8-frame deeps on September 7. The Apivar instructions say to leave the strips in for at least 42 days, which is today. Two days ago I put a sticky board under the bottom board of my hive, and when I pulled it out today I saw a dismaying number of mite bodies. I counted a total of 158. :cold_sweat:

Is that level of mites on my sticky board conclusive evidence that I need to do something more severe to treat them? Or do I need to do a mite wash to be certain?

And if treatment is mandated, what next? Should I try formic acid, oxalic acid, thymol?!

I’m a little freaked out because I thought Apivar was the most effective treatment option …

Meanwhile, I plan to leave the Apivar strips in for now (instructions say up to 56 days is okay if there is a heavy infestation).

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2

I’m sure you’ll get more specifics from others who’ve used it, but I’m thinking lots of dead mites on your sticky board is a good thing - evidence that Apivar is working?

3

I would leave your strips in for 2 more weeks, as you suggest. If you have access to a vaporizer, you might consider that. By November, your bees will probably be clustering, and in that situation you could do an oxalic acid trickle onto the cluster.

For next year, I would suggest that you consider oxalic acid cellulose sponges. Very effective, no risk of mite resistance, cheap to make and you can theoretically leave them on with a super, although I am not sure that is formally approved yet. :wink:

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