Varroa Mite Treatments
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- Опубліковано 13 вер 2024
- 0:17 How we use Apiguard
3:59 Using chemical miticides
7:00 Why we're organic beekeepers
8:00 Synergistic interaction chart
8:50 Extended release oxalic acid
12:54 Checking mite numbers
16:12 Why we treat in August
25:30 Why thymol and oxalic acid
treatments shouldn't be mixed
33:26 Genetics is the future
35:30 Our mite check kit
scientificbeek...
Predicting pesticide fate in the hive (part 1): Experimentally determined τ-Fluvalinate residues in bees, honey and wax. link.springer....
Study of acaricide stability in honey. Characterization of amitraz degradation products in honey and beeswax. pubmed.ncbi.nl...
Acaricide residues in honey and wax after treatment of honey bee colonies with Apivar® or Asuntol®50. hal.science/ha...
Johnson RM, Dahlgren L, Siegfried BD, Ellis MD (2013) Acaricide, Fungicide and Drug Interactions in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera). journals.plos....
High Levels of Miticides and Agrochemicals in North American Apiaries: Implications for Honey Bee Health. journals.plos....
The man is a walking encyclopedia in beekeeping and management.
Mr. Binnie, thank ya much for sharing!
Morning Bob! Low numbers makes you feel good. Mite numbers are like a golf score, the lower the better.
I've never played golf but I like that analogy.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Bob. For Aussie beekeepers this is an excellent video showing how beekeepers live with and manage varroa mites. Your explanations of techniques and the decision making process is educational and of great value.
Really informative video, nobody I follow is making and taking this level of effort to share information. Thank you Sir!
I've only kept bees now going on 5 years. First 2 were disastrous and now I'm near 100% sustainable thanks to you. I've been practicing brood break periods, where there isn't any new brood being laid to interrupt the mite cycle. Right after the Basswood flow is done, I crush the queens, let the bees backfill some of the vacated comb and then when the new queen is successfully raised, off the the races we go for winter.
And like you mentioned, about 20% need that second try to make there queen.
Good morning Bob, well done , thank you for your hard work and keeping everyone on the cutting edge on our quest to become better beekeepers, Antoine, Henderson county beekeepers association 😊🐝👍
Thank you.
Our goldenrod has been in bloom here in taft,tn for two weeks now. Usually its September. Very different season, everything bloomed 2 to 4+ weeks early. Not sure what the Lord is doing but I've learned to trust him:) thanks for taking time to keep us up to date, God bless
Good day Bob. See, a couple years back when that doctor, researcher with a strange accent (who gave me my name) with black finger nails, together with that other doctor were talking bad about oxalic-glycerin strips.. I told you all that they were doing something wrong because by then I used it in combination with brood breaks around 5 years and it always worked fantastic for me.
Actually together with 40 years of selection it became my only treatment for the entire year. And I finally after fighting varroa since 1977- 78 can say.. l don't have a problem with varroa anymore.
I'm glad you kept at it and find a way to make it work for you
Glad you and your crew enjoy making these videos. I learn a lot and look forward to them! They are informative and relaxing.
Thanks!
I got to meet Jesse last Friday. I really enjoyed chatting with him. I was a little intimidated actually. He is very knowledgeable!
He's a pussy cat at heart.👍
Thank you for making this video. I'm a first year beekeeper choosing to use apigaurd for my mite treatment on the advice i read in bee culture magazine. It's comforting and educational to see you and so many other beekeepers i follow using apigaurd. Thank you for all your amazing videos. Take care King Bob.
Mr. Binnie, you nailed it. I am a small bee keeper but have had as many as 70 hives. The tracheal mites are what started me trying to find bees that didn't need treated. After a lot of searching I started with Buckfast bees because they were already pretty immune to Acarine and went from there. The thing i found out was to stop bringing in more bees unless they were already showing signs of immunity. I haven't treated for varroa in twenty years. They aren't mite proof. Out of twenty hives i found 3 mites last year and none this year, so they are holding their own. I am sure that out of all the bees you have you already have some that are already very mite resistant. I love your videos. I am no business man but really like raising bees.
Thank you so much for freely sharing your in depth knowledge and research. Your channel is the most beneficial of all of them that I follow!
Thank you for another fine video. Even as a master beekeeper I still learn something from all of your videos.
Good morning from Germany. Thank you so much for putting out so much information again and again. Long time viewer, learned more from you than from anybody else. Much appreciated!
I absolutely love your management ! Bees are looking good Bob. What a great video this is. Thank you sir
It's amazing that you can get these low mites number without removing the green comb 😮 Great job.
Very informative info while having Sunday morning coffee. It’s interesting how the multitude of beekeepers pitch in and share there knowledge. Very helpful content. Thank you.
Good morning Bob and BRHC. Thanks for the vid.
Very well done. Liked seeing Jesse’s brake down at the end! Y’all rock!
Great video Bob! My plan is once I can sustain my operation and no longer supplementing it with funds from my main source of income my plan is to do the same with gentics. I really appreciate the time you put into them. I have learned so much over the last 5 years! Thanks so much!
Excellent Video Bob. I always value and look forward to your videos every Sunday morning. Today's however is what i would consider the video of the year to watch and even recommended it to my bee club.
Syleena being all efficient there, what a hand! You do good crew Sir!
Thanks Bob for sharing
Good morning Bob I am in Polk county FL started in March bought 5 nucs caught 3 and made some spilts lose 5 to wax moths and mites using aprivar, thanks for being my mentor sir I am hoping to have about 20 for next spring just turn 68 retiring in December again thanks to you and the team
Great video Bob. I’ll say it again “Love your work environment!” Keep up the great work guys.
When I started beekeeping I mentored with a commercial guy. And he told me something that has proven to work. “A dead mite can’t be resistant” I’ve been treating my bees to keep mite as low as possible ever since.
I'm going to borrow (steal) that quote.👍
Hola un genio gracias por los vídeos que lindo es ver cómo trabaja su hija 👏👏👏👏👏👍🐝🐝🐝🇦🇷
Good morning
Glad to see another Informative videos
Excellent video Bob!
Morning Bob, i had to come looking for your video this morning. 🙄You would think Notifications would be easy for UA-cam.
Thanks for talking about your experiences with the OA strips, and showing us your counts on them. It is great to see new(old) organic options to the synthetics that are safe(r) and effective, while used in a treatment retinue. Yep, Clean Bees is Happy, Healthy Bees I learnt that from you. Blessed Days Bob and Crew...,
Thanks and good morning!
One of your best videos to date. Thanks
thank you Bob!
This was a great informative video thanks.
Thanks for the educational videos!
Good morning Bob, it is a pleasure to see your interesting videos, I really learn a lot from them. Very clear and illustrative. Greetings and blessings to your entire work team, you can see that they are coordinated and have a wonderful atmosphere. Greetings from Monterrey Mexico.
Thank you and greetings.
Bob,
Your so right about Apiguard shutting down the Queen. It has virtually stopped all of them from laying eggs. I assume that has to be part of the plan for devlpong this product, forcing a brood break without removing or killing the queen. This has to be a major contributing factor to it's efficacy.
I believe you are right.
This video was one of my favorites, along with the video on with the one about feeding sugar as opposed to HFCS, and the video talking about honeycomb and the toxins that persist in it.
We are looking forward to you coming to St. Louis and speaking in February @ the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association conference. Thanks for all you do in the beekeeping world.
-Tom Sostman
Thank you. I'm looking forward to it and hope to present more on this subject.
Good morning Bob,
As usual another great video and information.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Maggie Valley Honey Bees
Maggie Valley! Not far away.
Bob this was really great oa extended release is the way to go thank u so much for sharing this. What did you use as the mextrax for the oa. I hope u and your crew and wonderful family has a very Blessed week. I am also looking forward the Gregs talk.
Wonderful sharing my brother nuff blessing
In 2021, I treated my apiary with Formic Pro in early September and then Hop Guard 3 in November when the hive was broodless. 5 out of 5 colonies made it through winter.
In 2022, I treated my apiary with Formic Pro in early September and then Hop Guard 3 in November when the hive was broodless. 6 out of 7 colonies made it through winter.
In 2023, (I thought it would be better to mix up my mite treatment method and try to treat earlier) I treated my apiary with Apiguard in August. I treated with 2 half doses per label instructions when temperatures are high. By Thanksgiving, 8 of 10 colonies were dead. The remaining 2 colonies died midwinter Looked like colony collapse disorder. When the hives looked fine one week and then 2-3 weeks later, almost all of the bees left the hive and did not return.
My coworker, who is also a beekeeper, treated all 26 of their colonies with Apiguard. All 26 colonies died. These colonies were in a different area (different county) than my apiary.
Sorry to hear of your trouble. There can be a learning curve with Apiguard. We have great results with it.
Good one!Thanks for posting .
Hello Bob . That was funny I was in the middle of writing to ask you if you still are trying any of the other mite wash fluids an there popped up Jesse so I just started over . I have been keeping bees a long time also BUT BUT like you said every day week month an year is always different. With that said by YOU an other bee keepers helping us remember thing we forget from time to time or just things that are NEW AN UPDATED in bee keeping because yes it always changes like you said an that may be for the good or the bad. So never think you are boring us or over talking about any subject. The respect that I an all the other bee keepers have for you and the work an time you put into spreading your years of hits an misses to help all of us be a better bee keepers . Hope you had the best season ever. Thanks
Thank you. 👍
As always Bob great video. One word about extended relase oxalic pads. I would like to add that bees with higher clearning behavior(genetics) have lower mites count. Bees in this hives damage sponges more and spread oxalic all over the hive. Can't say that I'm 100% sure about it but I see a big diffrence in this type of colonies. All the best from Europe.
Thank you. I wondered if colonies showing this type of behavior would have more varroa sensitive hygiene traits.
I´m guessing Jhon is the one that shakes the cocktails at the company barbecues :). Always great information, thank you!
Great video. Very informative
Golden rod is blooming here in pa about two weeks early extreme drought this year has things weird good luck bob
That's early, good luck.
Bob,
I'm a Golf Course Superintendent for the past 27 years and a Certified Bee Keeper for the past 3 with my hives being on the golf course that I manage in Georgia. I love and appreciate your videos. Keep up the good work my friend. I just have a question. You stated in this video that the active ingredient Prochloraz is used on golf course turf. I personally have never heard of this active ingredient nor could I find a product that contained it that was labeled for turf. Do you have a common name product that you could share with me? PS The nucs I got from you are performing exceptionally and the golfing community quizzes me all the time about honey bees if they are not asking me about our Monarch plots or Birdie, our Roughcoat Border Collie. Thanks in advance.
Here is a quote from Wikipedia. Prochloraz, brand name Sportak, is an imidazole fungicide that was introduced in 1978 and is widely used in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America within gardening and agriculture to control the growth of fungi. It is not registered for use in the United States.
Yessir "Ask me how I know" haha I scorched a few rhis year. Singles using 25 to 30 grams 3x. Made 7 outta 45 fly the coup. Glad I decided to do only 2 yards
would love to hear how the golden west do for you. Mine here in VA did great on the UBeeO test. will do Harbos on them this fall
I’ll be adding a magnifying glass to mite check kit
Lots of good information there, thanks for posting this vid. Can you say how you are confident shaking a frame of bees and scooping a half cup without having found the queen? How do you know she didn't go into the alcohol wash and get killed?
Thanks
We're pretty good at spotting queens but of course it is possible.
Brilliant video Bob!
A shut down this time of year would be devastating in my nests. I need this brood nest to slingshot into making an August winter nest
I would agree. We live on two different planets when it comes to beekeeping!
@@bobbinnie9872
Once again, brilliant video. This synergy presentation is what I want you to speak about at our conference
I’m going to try the OA pads next season like you did here. I’ve used Apigaurd the last 3 years. It definitely knocks them back but. Just believe the loads get too high in MS to get all zeros at the end of treatment. I still get 3-4 per 300 even after 3 40g treatments.
May wait a month and do OA vape into the Fall. Then winter solstice.
Maybe the pads will keep the loads lower for me and I can follow with Apigaurd
Good Morning Bob !
Good morning sir!
This is good information and timely.
Two years ago I mixed thymovar and oxalic acid in one yard because I didn’t know any better. Only half the colonies in that yard made it through the winter and they started out small.
Bob, visiting after a long break from videos. Could you tell us why you have what look to be escape boards on top of your colonies? Thanks.
We had just removed the sourwood supers the day before. Rain was coming that day and we left the escapes behind on several yards while trying to hurry.
Thanks Bob we need lots of education down here in Australia now that Varroa has arrived. I think it’s disappointing that we will be unable to use Oxalic Acid or Vapour as they are not approved. Anyway I don’t know enough about treatment so videos such as this will be helpful along with education by the authorities in Australia. 👍🐝
What about formic acid
@@poseidonam no I don’t think that is ok either
Great video!
Hi, Bob! Here’s a cautionary tale about using Apiguard in hot climates.
Being in East central NC, it’s regularly over 90. Our flow ends in late May or early June. Wanting to get a mite treatment in ASAP, I treated with half doses (25ml) of Apiguard on double deeps in July. The bees were fine. But some colonies just absconded and ran away. Most stayed but abandoned the second box. With no bees policing a box this time of year, the top boxes got slimed by beetles and wax moths moved in as well. All in the span of a week. Now, I’m left picking up the pieces of missing colonies and destroyed comb. And I still need to treat for mites!
I had the exact same thing happen the first time I used it. What a mess.
Sorry for not understanding. Do you add shim on top of double deep with treatment on top? With apiguard. Thanks Bob. Love your teachings and you approach to the art of beekeeping
Yes, as long as there are enough bees in the top box. If all the bees are in the bottom box we would put it in the middle.
Still looking at fingers pulling on a big syringe over and over thinking there has to be a dosing gun out there that will work with this product. Heads up to the manufacturer... cuz decades and decades pulling on those darn syringes adds up on hands and fingers!
Let us know if you find one.
Thank as always fòr great information
I just did my 1st mite wash a few weeks ago (im a newbie) and im pretty sure it was a zero but i really don't have the confidence to say it was a zero since im new and scared itll slip tgrough the cracks lol
Bob, I’m a newbee keeper, only my third year. My mentor is anti-mite treatment. I tried apiguard last year and it seemed to help. I had pulled honey off the hive first then treated. This year I am leaving some honey on the hive. I only extracted ten frames total. Due to crazy conditions my one hive is now three hives…actually saw my hive swarm and was able to catch it an hour later. What luck!! I want to treat all three now but just thinking about what honey is still left. I’m guessing it won’t matter for overwintering, but I’m not sure about next spring and what residue or left over affect it will have for next year if I extract more honey then. Maybe this makes sense…I’m under the thought that sticking my head in the sand and ignoring the problem is not going to be the solution…only a deadout colony. I appreciate all your videos and sharing of knowledge. I try to get over your way and visit the store when I can. Always great folks there and great service.
If next year you extract honey that is in the colony now your choices are limited to oxalic acid or formic acid. Synthetic chemical strips like Apivar should not be used. If you're referring to next years honey then the residue will be minimal by then and using these treatments now is thought to be OK.
Thank you
Hi Bob, once again an excellent video.
Question: What are your thoughts on placing the Apiguard on the top bars rather than using the pieces of cardboard? The Vita Europe folks recommended this for colonies that tend to propolize the Apiguard.
We have tried that and it can work but I have seen it drip between the frames.
You just saved me from a screw up of epic proportions 😅 I intended to attempt thymol treatment this year along with oxalic acid vapour treatment and oxalic slow release pads so I'm really glad you commented on that😂 we live in a thyme area and I'm not sure how much of the thymol from the nectar gathering gets into the hive and if it has any effect on mite counts but I wanted to experiment with using it in hives to see what results I get. Guess I'll have to rethink that 😬😅 great video 👍👋 thanks from central Otago southern New Zealand 👋😃
Thanks. I would be interested to know the answer to thymol in the nectar question.
thank you
Hi Bob, great informative video as always!
I do have a question, is the apiguard a fumigation or do the bees carry it throughout the colony?
Thanks. It is actually both.
Thanks for yet another great video. What are your thoughts on Randy Oliver's extended release thymol treatments?
A thought for a winter video - You must know a ton of ways to split hives. I assume, some you use and some you don't. It would be interesting to understand when and why you (or a hobby beekeeper) would use one vs another.
Thanks
Sorry, I don't know enough about extended thymol to say.
Should we keep the entrance reducer’s out? For better ventilation during thymol treatment? How about in a six frame nuc?
I think it would depend on the temperature. Generally speaking I would leave the reducer out unless it's cool and probably the same for the nuc.
Great video and good information. Glad you posted the interactions. How many hives would you say you lose over winter with these relatively low mite numbers?
Unless something out of the ordinary happens we'll be under 10%.
Good info.
All the information presented was available way over 5 years ago for anyone who had their ear to the ground research wise and their face in the hive testing out incoming theories as they rolled out.
The biggest question is " what's the next big thing* to help save our behinds.
agree that rims or spacers are a pain in the ass that are a necessary evil. man I hate them but they do serve their place
100%0disagree with your admonition that conjunctive use of Thymol and OA simultaneously brings about adverse affects.
All has to do with placement of each when doing so. Been using both together for decades. nothing is perfect but the one /2 punch keeps them numbers down. more worried about mites that a fried hive or two.
As ALWAYS .............................................. As EXPECTED another great learning video. So much to comprehend and of course retain. One question is where we live the night time temperatures are in the seventies and eighties. The daytime and well over one hundred degrees. So is it still safe and applying Apiguard? We have Saskatraz Queens and are happy with them. Then we are also novice beekeepers in our fourth year if trying to keep bees! THANK YOU for all the informative and educational fun videos!
That's pretty high temperatures for Apiguard and could be a problem. I would wait for cooler weather. Thanks.
Hi Bob, sorry if the following has been discussed already. You were describing the dose in grams (weight) though the unit of measure in a syringe is cc’s (volume). Have you confirmed 1 g = 1 cc? Since you’re using it this way I assume it’s close enough.
Yes, it's fairly close.
All that stuff about chemicals made me think of the water and wastewater classes I have to go to to keep my certifications. Been keeping bees for 6 years, don't treat, don't feed, and haven't bought bees since my second year. I have had some losses but generally I got more bees than I can handle cause I work 2 jobs. Was glad to see that last part, at some point are the mites gonna develop a resistance to the chemicals, I believe genetics are the way to go. I guess you can say I'm a survival of the fittest when it comes to my bees. I know y'all can't do that though cause y'all have to big of an investment to do that.
This is how I’ve been. I want to go larger (200) and now I’m beginning to think just what I should do. 4 years and never once treated. I’m not sure what to do though. I have seen people say their treatments have had comparable loss rates to non treatment.
@@timbervalleyhomestead I just have 20 hives, I work 2 jobs and broke, half of my equipment is hand me down. I could easily expand further but don't have the time or money. I only would say that if you went 200 then you would have quite an investment to worry about. I would do mite checks and proceed accordingly.
Question about amitraz
Hi Bob. I'm sure you've been treated with Amitraz at least once. I am confused about what my protective clothing should consist of - glasses, gas mask. In your practice, what protective clothing have you used? Thank you in advance.
When we did used products like that we generally had someone using nitrile gloves to handle things. We often do the same with the organics too. When vaporizing we also use respirator masks.
Hi! Im trying out 25g 2 weeks in a row. According to the Apiguard site when temps are high.
How high are these temps you speak of, waiting to treat mine when temps are down to the high 80s.
@@kellymoore4517 90F+
I saw somewhere that the alcohol percentage in the solution can dissipate to a level where it is no longer effective for killing mites when exposed to open air. Those zeros you saw using that same alcohol with the two dead mites could be the result of ineffective alcohol and not zero mites. You also need to put the cap back on the alcohol right away or the alcohol in the bottle can become less effective as well.
Good suggestions. Because our tests were grouped tightly together I wonder if it's an issue.
Apologies if this is repeat question but what is a reasonable amount of time between apiguaurd application and oxalic acid treatments?
A week would do in my opinion.
I've bought about 10-15 of the OHB Saskatraz, I don't think they are mated very good, most die overwinter, but the daughters you graft from them are very good.
Hi Mr Binnie. Would you be against oxalic vaporization x 3 5 days this time of year as heat is avg 97 deg and 88 at 9 in morning and horrible humidity with much bearding?
That could be a maintenance treatment until it cools down. You may need to do it before sun up.
Thanks for the explanations and encouragement to check and keep after the mites! I’m wondering if I use formic soon if they will backfill the brood nest where the fresh eggs should be
If there is a flow on they could because brood rearing will temporarily slow down.
Did you do a video on extended release oxalic acid? I must have missed it. Would love more info on your mixture as well as how you used it in your colonies!
The is the first video that we mentioned it. I would suggest checking Randy Olivers website "Scientific Beekeeping .com" for the recipe. The link is in the video description.
and now you know. nice vid
If temps are high ( mid 90's during days). Would it be wise to treat with OC acid weekly for 3 or 4 weeks, til temps come down enough to use thymovar
I think that would be a good choice.
Would you possibly do a presentation on hive kills due to pesticides? Earlier in the year I mentioned there was a chance my bees were stolen. No signs of dead bees in front of the colonies. I recently found out that the chemical Seven was used on a location near the hives.
My colonies have been slowly dying off and I've gone from 10 at that location to three. The queens couldn't get back and the hives dwindled.
Of the three remaining hives I'll likely lose one more.
Now I've got contaminated comb and the hive beetles have destroyed much of it. (went on vacation and a week later they got the others that died out.
I'm sorry to hear of your trouble. Seven is insidious. We got hit with seven a time or two when pollinating apples in Washington state years ago and it wasn't good. Not only does it initially cause great harm but it continues to do so for some time. I don't know if it stays in the comb or if it's just a pollen problem. I do know it takes a while to overcome. Again, sorry to hear about this and good luck.
I must be lucky in Norfolk UK, Never treated my girls ever I’m still looking after thriving hives
If apis Cerana can beat up mites it not far fetched to think that Apis Melifera can get to a place where they physically attack mites as well
As usual another great video Bob.!!
Agreed and thank you.
درود ❤
Have you tried UBEEO on any of your hives, or done any Harbo Assays to test for hygienic behavior?
I have not done that but I may in the future.
Excellent and timely- Question: if you normally use 50 grams for a double deep (Vita lists 50 grams per 10 frames of bees), how much do you use for a double deep in warmer weather? Thank you for all the valuable information you provide.
25 to 30 grams depending on temperature.
Another good video. Since you have so many hives, do you do a mite check on each one or do you do random checks and if so, what percentage of hives do you check?. Thanks
We have been only checking four to six in a yard but next year I plan to check more and treat less in some yards in search of mite resistance.
Bob, with all the heat, temps with heat index over 105 in July and August, is apiguard at half dose safe and effective??
Not safe at those temps. We like to be in the low 90s or lower with a half dose.
greetings from czech republic Bob, found you few weeks ago and my head is full of ideas about what to do next spring (Introducing double screenboards, making my own hives and scaling up) . Currently on 40 beehives, want to double next year. Already changed some of my chores.
I´d like to ask you about late summer/ autumn varroa migration, which is very common were i live. Do you happen to have that ? If so, do you treat again after certain period of time ? Basically we have one of the most beekeeper/population ratio and its normal to have 10-20 beekeepers with up to 500 hives in total in the flying distance of my bee location. So its very common for my stronger hives to rob others weak ones and bring home sometimes thousands of mites. Worry is that this year, the spring was unusually warm and the bees are 2-3 weeks forward of what they ussually are and bees are already collapsing to some. If you have any sort of experience regarding varroa migration to your hives , how would you try and mitigate it or simply how would you treat differently, I would much appriciate it. Thanks again, you´re enourmous help
Yes, I have had that problem and have lost entire yards because of it. That is one reason why it is recommended to check mite populations often and also well after the treatments are done.
Do you make your own escape boards? They would be nice for pulling seasonal honey. Did you pull splits from these bees this spring?
We didn't make these escapes although I don't think it would be too hard. These were purchased from Rossman Apiaries in Moultrie Georgia about 12 years ago. We carry a Mann Lake version in our store that is very similar. These colonies were split hard this spring.
@@bobbinnie9872 What size where the colonies after splitting?
@@mitchelwayne5534 Four frames of bees.
did I miss is but what or how is the roll of paper towels used for?
didn't see its use mentioned although one could surmise it might be helpful for filtering mites out of the alcohol after a wash. we use our towels insides screen /strainer after every wash to double check mite counts on the towels. make it easier to see what are real mites and what are shells off their backs.
We keep paper towels around to clean and wipe up messes. Sorry we didn't say that.
Im working towards wintering Three high hives our issue is getting hives big enough for a july and part of august honey flow .
Its a flash in the pan then done .
The dark queens are very hard to see and when marked very easy and color coding is extremely helpful in management .
I drizzled my hives (late fall early winter ) and very early in (spring winter ).
I think the spring drizzle was hard on the bees 🐝
Although many say it's fine my limited experience with drizzle wasn't great. 👍
Bob,
Two quick questions. The apigaurd instructions say to put the pads above the brood chamber which is typically the bottom box, they say to put the pads in-between the 1st and 2nd box even if brood is also in the top box. So, I consolidated my upper brood into the bottom chamber and then placed the pads between the two boxes. Lot of work. Was I wrong to do this? Or overkill? Should I of just put on the top box as you do?
Secondly, do you put you're frame feeders in the bottom or top box? Does it matter? I saw many of your videos had the feeder in the bottom but then some in the top in the most recent videos.
I think consolidating the brood in the bottom box with the Apiguard directly above it should work fine.
We often put a division board feeder in a single story colony and leave it there after adding a second story until the bees are filling up that box, especially in cooler weather. Once there are plenty of bees up there we'll move it up. It works best to have it near the cluster of bees.
Great video Bob and team 😊 With apiguard, does it matter if it is placed on the card as a blob or spread out? Just curious 🤔
We always make a blob so it doesn't disappear too quickly.
Hey Bob..I'm in N. California where it's the middle of August and I need to start treating with Apiguard, but my honey supers were late getting filled up and 1/4 of them are filled but not capped. Temps are in the low ninety's and I need to start treating. What do you recommend I do?
In your area the humidity may be low enough that your uncapped honey may already be dry enough. You could check it with a refractometer in the field. If not dry enough perhaps use or create a drying room to finish the job so you can get it off now. Personally, I'm all about getting the mites down early enough to raise healthy winter bees.