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Is there a standard on which to evaluate mite counts to determine the condition of the hive and the effectiveness of the apistan. I am currently checking 2 hives of which you could see the effects of the v-mites. 1 hive had a 3day avg. of 30 mites. The other had a count of 80. I probably will not get to do the fgmo. Mainly because I'm not sure where to get it. I am going to use the Api Life VAR tabs from Brushy Mountain. The plan is to place the tabs in the hive when the strips come out. I'm hoping that this will give me an idea of the effectiveness of the strips. Next year i will try the fgmo.
WineMan
08-22-2003, 07:22 PM
80 would be scary for me
Dave W
08-24-2003, 09:19 AM
Greetings dp,
To test for Apistan resistant mites see: http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdmay00.htm
What "effects of v-mites" are you seeing?
Are your counts (30 & 80) BEFORE placing Apistan in hive? (w/ SBB??)
Are you using Apistan for CONTROL or DETECTION?
Im not sure about using 2 "control" methods back-to-back (Apistan first, then ApiLifeVAR), can someone help?
Dave W
The main problem that I see are the bees with deformed wings. The mite counts are after placing the apistan strips in the hive with a sbb. I am using apistan for mite control.
Do you see the DFW bees on the landing boards or where??????????
Iowabeeman
08-24-2003, 10:36 PM
I think your mites are apistan resistant. The deformed wings indicate a high mite load. Your mite fall doesn't indicate this. The intial mite fall, when the strips are inserted, is usually 200 to 300. When i see deformed wings, I often get more than a 1000. At this point there is no point in trying to save the bees.