[Rigratt]

First year beekeeper here so please excuse the newbie question. So today I finally had a little break in the weather to inspect my hive. First off they seemed to have wintered very well. I got my bees last May. I started out with a 10 frame deep and added another 10 frame in late summer. Today top deep was almost full of drawn comb, honey, eggs and capped brood. I haven’t ever checked for mites with a sugar shake but decided I would just treat for them before the honey flow starts. Question is how quick does it work? Reason I ask is I have a freeman screened bottom board and just went back a few hours latter to make sure the top cover was secured. I checked the tray and I could already see dead mites floating around.

 

[ifixoldhouses]

it's a slow release, like 6 weeks to kill em all.

 

[Rigratt]

Thanks

 

[JWPalmer]

Apivar will start killing mites on day one. The strips stay in the hive between 42 and 56 days in order to kill all the emerging mites. It is a contact poison, so a bee carrying a phoretic mite must come into contact with the strip in order for it to work. During the course of the treatment you may need to move the strips so that they remain in the brood nest. Also note that you cannot place honey supers on the hives until two weeks after you have removed the strips.

Grab your calendar and mark 6 weeks out for removal and the add the two weeks. Make sure this date is not already well into your honey flow. In my area, April 8th is late for putting supers on.

 

[Rigratt]

Apivar will start killing mites on day one. The strips stay in the hive between 42 and 56 days in order to kill all the emerging mites. It is a contact poison, so a bee carrying a phoretic mite must come into contact with the strip in order for it to work. During the course of the treatment you may need to move the strips so that they remain in the brood nest. Also note that you cannot place honey supers on the hives until two weeks after you have removed the strips.
Grab your calendar and mark 6 weeks out for removal and the add the two weeks. Make sure this date is not already well into your honey flow. In my area, April 8th is late for putting supers on.

Thanks, I’m not real sure when exactly the flow starts around my area. 55 days would put me around April 5th and 2 weeks after that would be April19th. I have some new frames with foundation ordered and should be here soon. So would it be too soon to add them now since the bees would have to build comb?

 

[JWPalmer]

I imagine your flow starts well before mine, but I am not familiar with the actual timing. I would not add frames until you see early flowers like dandelion blooming. I do suspect that supers in MS will be going on shortly if not already, especially since winter in the SE has been mild so far. That is why I brought up the timing issue with the Apivar. I plan on putting supers on my hives in Richmond around the last week of March.

 

[Rigratt]

Thanks seems I maybe late for the party

 

[beemandan]

I've seen a thousand mites drop in the first week.

 

[HeadofMeadow]

Thanks seems I maybe late for the party

Better late than never! Not to change your IPM strategy but "Formic Acid" available as Formic pro is approved for use while honey supers are in place. Just remember to look at the label with regard to minimum temperatures.

Good luck!

 

[Rigratt]

Better late than never! Not to change your IPM strategy but "Formic Acid" available as Formic pro is approved for use while honey supers are in place. Just remember to look at the label with regard to minimum temperatures.

Good luck!

Thanks I will look into that also

 

[HeadofMeadow]

Of course, you may consider giving the "Tools for Varroa Management" guide from the Honey Bee Health Coalition a read. It goes over all the common options from Essential Oils, Apivar, Formic, Oxcalic to drone brood removal, screened bottom boards and requeening. It also details when they are most effective and actual results from field tests. The seventh edition of the guide can be found:

https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org...de_Varroa_Interactive_7thEdition_June2018.pdf

If you dont want to read they do have a varroa management decision tool that will guide you in the right direction.

https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/varroa/

 

[Rigratt]

Thanks that is some good reading there, I have it bookmarked.