Apistan Strips Treatment

[Bob D]

It appears I have a Varroa Mite problem in my new package that I installed on April 16th. I have 1 hive.

The Apistan Strips, I was told, I shouldn't be using when the honeyflow is active. My girls are drinking a lot of syrup from my boardman feeder and bringing in a lot of pollen. So, is this a bad time to use the Apistan?

I am still on my 1st deep Super and, when completely drawn out, I will add my second. So, the 1st 2 supers aren't for homey to process, it is the bees storage. So, doese that make it OK to use the Apistan Strips? Is the idea of not using it because you don't want the chemical in the honey you are going to be removing for yourself? If that is the case, I'm some time from adding honey supers. Please let me know.
Bob

[Michael Bush]

Whatever you use probably isn't going to kill mites in the cells, so you'll have to treat several times. Sucrocide, powdered sugar or Oxalic acid would all be treatments I would prefer to Apistan. I don't know how much resistance there is up your way, but the mites no longer respond to Apistan here.

[Dave W]

Greetings Bob D,

No chemical(s) should be added to your hive while the bees are storing honey.

You can treat w/ Apistan during honey-flow, IF you FIRST REMOVE honey supers. Honey stored in brood nest or food chamber is not usually human food (but bees may move it later).

If you are not sure of your "mite load" (you have been monitoring, right? smile.gif ), you could remove honey supers, place the correct number of A-strips in the brood nest, AND MONITOR MITE FALL DAILY!!!, for first 7 days. If your mite fall is low, you could then remove the A-strips, replace honey supers, and continute to monitor and wait until after flow is over to apply fresh A-strips for a full 42-56 day period.

This "short" treatment will kill mites OUTSIDE bee brood cells, and any mites that hatch out w/ new bees during the 7 days. You may still have LOTS of other mites INSIDE w/ other developing bees.

If your mite count is high during first seven days, I would continue (leave strips) for entire full treatment period.

After installing my first package on Apr 12, 2003, I did not find my first mite until June 25.

I guess it is possible, your hive is being overwhelmed by mites from some other hive (even miles away). But, I dont understand why your bees (busy drawing 1st chamber) would be robbing an infested hive, or why an infested hive would be bring you there mites (is your hive being robbed?).

[Bob D]

Well, a beekeeper of 13 years and owner of dozens of hives was nice enough to come over and inspect my hives on Thursday.
He said for me not to worry as the girls are very healthy and thriving. He said it could have been the frost, it could have been one of the queen's mates was a relative or a number of things, but a certain percentage of the pupa generally has some kind of problem anyway and is removed and discarded by the worker bees.
He and I popped open several Drone Cells and didn't see a single Varroa. I pulled 2 drones from their cells earlier that day and thought I saw one. Turns out it wasn't. So, I guess things are fine.
The first deep super is almost all drawn out and ready for me to add the second supper already!! I guess that means I'm doing good for a new package hive this year in New Hampshire.
I am so relieved and happy now! Thank you SOO MUCH to everyone who responded to my posts!
Bob