Varroa treatment with young queen
Having done Demaree and Horsley board, I have sealed queen cells which will hopefully hatch and mate. Up to 8 days after she starts laying, I will have a colony with no sealed brood. I have the option of an apiary in a varroa-free area, and although I currently have no varroa in those colonies, I have varroa in others in the apiary (at very low levels) and would like to vapourise with ‘oxalic’. Is this advisable with a young queen, or should I wait (how long?) and vapourise a number of times (how many and how many days apart?).
Any experience with oxalic acid/glycerin strips?
I've noted a new product from Lyson, oxalic acid/glycerin strips for Varroa treatment. Is this treatment approved in the UK, and does anyone have any experience with it?
I like the idea of a treatment in the spring that knocks the mite population back a bit before the drone raising and expansion gets going. The placement of oxalic acid in this way is similar to approaches that Randy Oliver describes but he uses paper towels and I suspect the new strips are
designed to stay active for a longer period hence giving a chance to have some effect over more than 1 brood cycle.
As an aside - been checking colonies and in Tayside we have had a relatively benign winter. Bees have not been cooped up for too long, with a few mild days to let them out and move stores around, and if well fed in the autumn then I think the percentage coming into spring should be very high.
Pleasing not to see any signs of dysentery. BUT! even though colony strength looking good there is still a bit to go.