Just treated for mites

[mackles]

My hives havent had a bad mite problem last year or this year. In fact i check the bottom boards today after like 6 weeks, and i could only count like 20 mites for both hives . But i desided to treat them with apistan (apistan has worked for me last year very well) just in case they have a spike in a few weeks so i can get the supers on as soon as possible without having to take them off to treat them if they have a problem in the spring. Do you think this is a good idea or should i only treat when i see a problem?

[mackles]

P.S. i know treating for mites when it isnt a problem can lead to resistant mites, but i figured apistan only works for a limited amount of time (because of the developed immunity) anyways. Also there are many other treatments that can be used, so im not worried that much about resistant mites.

[Michael Bush]

20 mites in six weeks total? That's not that much.

IF you treat with apistan, note the drop DURING the treatment and the drop after the treatment and you'll have a better picture of whether or not it worked. Apistan has been failing here. I won't use it again.

[Dave W]

An "about normal" Feb mite drop of 0.5 (20/42) does not mean you wont have a problem in July.

If you used Apistan last year, it may be best to rotate chemicals this year or use an IPM method to hold the mites in check and "save" the Apistan 'til it was really needed.