I opened up a Buyvarol pack.. aluminium foil with plastic strips packed again in foil. Looks the same as Apivar. It was from 1999. Tested it on two not treated hives until August. It completely cleaned the varroa out.. I'm ready to bet right now those two will be very strong hives in spring. Damn poison 😅. I didn't do the wash at all. The bottom trays were full... on day 25 there was 0 varroa on them. Killed every varroa in the hives.
Just something to think about but Randy Oliver stated in one of his videos that he takes mite samples from frames that are next to the brood frames. Apparently, there is less mite count deviation by doing it that way, resulting in more accurate mite counts.
I think most important is for a beekeeper to use the same method consistently so that they can use their results against their history. For me, 2% is the safe zone. If I started sampling differently I might be comparing apples to oranges.
🤣That looks funny at first. Thanks for sharing Phil.😂How many practice runs did you do before the video? Thank you for the video Phil, you bring us some real good information. Blessed Days...
Phil, I think you should rethink how you collect your samples. If you shake frames into a tub and then scoop up bees with a measuring cup it would give you a more consistent sample size and give you a more consistently high proportion of nurse bees. Having consistent same sizes would save you a lot of math and make comparing mite loads of different hives a breeze. I realize it is one extra step when you are already busy but it seems like it would pay off in the end.
Love the video.👍 Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the data. I had entertained giving apistan another try, but maybe not now.
Test first. I jumped the gun a bit.
I couldn’t quite make out the overall Apistan efficacy but that high shake was discouraging
I opened up a Buyvarol pack.. aluminium foil with plastic strips packed again in foil. Looks the same as Apivar. It was from 1999. Tested it on two not treated hives until August. It completely cleaned the varroa out.. I'm ready to bet right now those two will be very strong hives in spring. Damn poison 😅. I didn't do the wash at all. The bottom trays were full... on day 25 there was 0 varroa on them. Killed every varroa in the hives.
Thanks, Phil!
Благодарю, что поделились своим опытом!
Thanks for the video!
Just something to think about but Randy Oliver stated in one of his videos that he takes mite samples from frames that are next to the brood frames. Apparently, there is less mite count deviation by doing it that way, resulting in more accurate mite counts.
I think most important is for a beekeeper to use the same method consistently so that they can use their results against their history. For me, 2% is the safe zone. If I started sampling differently I might be comparing apples to oranges.
Phil we are not beekeepers anymore, we are keepers of mites so the bees can do what bees do
🤣That looks funny at first. Thanks for sharing Phil.😂How many practice runs did you do before the video?
Thank you for the video Phil, you bring us some real good information. Blessed Days...
No practice.
Thanks for the info
I wonder what the sample numbers would be if you found a hive with high levels and made 20 or 30 samples from it how much would they vary.
Good question.
Phil, I think you should rethink how you collect your samples.
If you shake frames into a tub and then scoop up bees with a measuring cup it would give you a more consistent sample size and give you a more consistently high proportion of nurse bees. Having consistent same sizes would save you a lot of math and make comparing mite loads of different hives a breeze.
I realize it is one extra step when you are already busy but it seems like it would pay off in the end.
Good food for thought.
200 as a sample is redundant because what if the hive was big compared to small ones
The statistical side of this is complex. We try to iron out the numbers by sampling from “typical” colonies. Neither the biggest or the smallest.
Phil, are the mites getting tougher or is it a seasonal thing??
Pesticide resistant mites. Evolution in action.
@@philbeeman I suppose. It will get harder also.