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Just trying to understand the best time to do fall might treatments. Any advice on the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks charlie
Fall mite treatment schedule
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Hi Charlie,
You treat (if needed) AFTER testing for mites....
See link below:
http://www.honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cfans_asset_317466.pdf
Larry
You treat (if needed) AFTER testing for mites....
See link below:
http://www.honeybeesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cfans_asset_317466.pdf
Larry
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Gonna start my Apivar treatments tomorrow.
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what made you decide on apivar and do you like it? Thanks for reply
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I've found it is extremely effective and easy to use. Just hang two strips per box in the brood area.
It's a one time treatment -strips stay in the hive for about 6 weeks, exposing all mites as they emerge from under capped brood.
You have to take it out while the weather is still warm enough to get back into the hive, but it is not heat sensitive to use like other treatments where it has to be a certain temp.
Treating now will assure your young bees going into the winter are free of mites and the health issues unchecked mite loads can bring such as deformed wing virus.
It has no odor and no negative effects on the bees or the queens.
There is no waiting for a broodless period to treat and no toxicity issues as with many other mite treatments.
Amitraz, the active ingredient in Apivar has been used for about 15 years in the UK with great results.
http://www.apivar.co.nz/index.htm
It hasn't reached approval status in all states yet, so you might want to check if it approved for use in your area.
In my area, August is the key month. Drones are ejected last week of September to first week of October. You want the mites out of the hive in September, so the long lived winter bees can hatch healthy. Get a good cohort of September bees, the mite population won't recover until the broodless period (mid-November in my location), a light treatment in November leaves you golden until spring.
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Testing and applying test numbers against "economic threshold levels" in the fall for decision making to treat or not treat is an obsolete concept.
Testing earlier in the year to determine WHEN to treat is good beekeeping, but fall treatment is mandatory if you desire single digit losses and healthy winter clusters.
Remember, the goal of fall treatment which is not to kill mites. Any beekeeping goal should have the word "bees" in it.
The objective of fall mite treatment is to prophylactically shield brood cells that are about to be sealed resulting in un-parasitized healthy winter bees.
Yes, we want to reduce mite populations as well. in fact as low as possible. But production of winter bees, in good numbers and in good shape is the goal.
Here is the fall mite test:
Do you have mites in the hive? If the answer is yes, treat.
In Oregon we shoot for August 1 - 15th
Testing earlier in the year to determine WHEN to treat is good beekeeping, but fall treatment is mandatory if you desire single digit losses and healthy winter clusters.
Remember, the goal of fall treatment which is not to kill mites. Any beekeeping goal should have the word "bees" in it.
The objective of fall mite treatment is to prophylactically shield brood cells that are about to be sealed resulting in un-parasitized healthy winter bees.
Yes, we want to reduce mite populations as well. in fact as low as possible. But production of winter bees, in good numbers and in good shape is the goal.
Here is the fall mite test:
Do you have mites in the hive? If the answer is yes, treat.
In Oregon we shoot for August 1 - 15th
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To be honest I don't know but would just assume so. My bees came from a large commercial apiary that travels for pollination so my thought was to error on the side of caution. Can I ask if the treatments will affect normal hive activity ie; comb building ? Thank you all for great advice
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for bees with winter hibernation
- When is a fall treatment?
- What are fall treatment thresholds? What are they relative to other times?
- There are 2 fall treatment times.
- Treat the generation before the winter bees, so they don't give viruses to winter bees.
- Treat winter bees.
- Varroa thresholds are higher in spring and summer.
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Why? Do you assume that those who derive their livelihood and sustenance from beekeeping do not take care of their bees?
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in the North East it's not a case of them not treating, they don't treat on the same schedule as stationary beeks, ie most commercial beeks in this area treat after they leave this area, for instance when they get to Florida. The pull their hives out in NOV., if the weather is warm, they leave their work force of bees hanging in the trees, forcing the rest of us to retreat all of our hives.
I’m planning to OAV here with supers on once more, then pull honey (earlier than ever) and treat with apivar. As hot and dry as it has been here I’d be crazy to act like this is a normal year and stick to my normal schedule. Then I’m going to feed like crazy so they’ll raise winter bees at all.
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don't forget to give them pollen substitute or they won't raise the winter bees
Feeding pollen subs DOES NOT MAKE WINTER BEES. Rather, it's the seasonal variation in pollen intake that prompts the making of winter bees. Many inexperienced beeks feed pollen subs in the fall & don't understand that they are only making summer bees with the subs.
I wrote that I’d be crazy to treat this as a normal year, but as crazy as our weather/ moisture has been the bees are working around the smoke from forest fires, and the knapweed is producing, it looks like i can stick to the usual schedule. I put my last box on saturday, after borrowing 400 supers, and I’ve got 7 1/2 more yards to check! Not sure how I’ll handle that!
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