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Thread: Varroa – feasibility of clearing?

  1. #31
    Senior Member EmsE's Avatar
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    It would be handy to know in what period the twice refers to and whether the restriction is based on the effects on the workers or the Queen (safe to say both are affected with each treatment?). I've always assumed it was just once a year and so have been reluctant to treat swarms with OA during the summer so that I can use it during the winter instead. They stay in the garden until after the Autumn treatment when I put them in the apiary with the others, but it would be handy if I could move them straight to the apiary.

  2. #32

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    Hi EmsE
    The queen will be the same but the summer bees won't be there in the winter

  3. #33
    Senior Member EmsE's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    Hi EmsE
    The queen will be the same but the summer bees won't be there in the winter
    Hi DR, the way some colonies have behaved this year I couldn't count on that (having the same queen that is)

    so if the concern is the affect on the workers / brood of giving the OA twice, then doing the treatment 6 months apart would be fine? The queen could receive about 3 treatments in her lifetime if just treated during winter- could she cope with more?

  4. #34
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EmsE View Post
    Hi DR, the way some colonies have behaved this year I couldn't count on that (having the same queen that is)

    so if the concern is the affect on the workers / brood of giving the OA twice, then doing the treatment 6 months apart would be fine? The queen could receive about 3 treatments in her lifetime if just treated during winter- could she cope with more?
    Could be wrong (that caveat always applies to my posts) but I doubt that the queen will be much affected by the oxalic. If it is the mouthparts - or even the insides - of a bee that get affected then workers lapping up oxalic-syrup or cleaning up deposited oxalic will be at risk. The queen walks about and generally gets fed by workers rather than picks it up directly herself (and does no cleaning duties), so any exposure she gets is secondhand and should be at a lower, less dangerous level and more easily repaired (so temporary).

    G.

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Hi Jon, here is one oxalic study..
    That's not a great study Pete as it looks at Oxalic treated bees hatched in an incubator and treated individually with Oxalic and introduced to an observation hive when there is brood present. That is not how Oxalic is used by beekeepers ie, it is used during broodless periods.

    Negative effects looked pretty marginal as well.

    Even so the final paragraph of the discussion states:

    Regardless to the findings of this study, the
    advantages of OA as a treatment against the
    mite V. destructor
    still outweigh the possible
    negative consequences to the honeybee colony
    and it should remain as one of the main
    varroacides

  6. #36

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    I treated 54 full colonies five times with oxalic...five days apart, no ill effects at all, but not trickling.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    You can treat them twice using the Varrox Vaporiser Calum
    Not with the trickle treatment though
    Hi
    thats (Varrox Vaporiser ) not legally allowed in Germany.
    Doesnt stop some people, stops me though.
    All treatments are only allowed after the last honey harvest of the year to ensure nothing pollutes the honey.. Its disconcerting for me to read about the treatment timings in use in the UK...

    The weather here is not good for any treatment other than 15% Lactic, so I'll be doing that at the end of the month with my main colonies to reduce their varroa load, the rest should make it through to Christmas as they are, Santa will bring them all Oxalic treats....
    Last edited by Calum; 08-10-2013 at 01:06 PM.

  8. #38

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    Hi Calum
    All the honey is off before any treatments same as yourself
    Wonder why the vaporiser is not allowed? That's probably due to the risk of inhaling vapour?
    Long leads then stand upwind is the answer to that, but I do have a full filtered face mask with breathing filters rated for all dangerous chemicals
    I'm a belt and braces man myself

    Lots of people follow this treatment pattern which is :-
    After the supers are off treat with thymol -- that can be Api life Var Or Apiguard or just thymol crystals or a dissolved thymol in achohol
    Then in Winter Oxalic trickle treatment -once
    or Oxalic vapourised twice

    The MAQS strips recently licensed here are Formic acid and although the manufacturers say it can be used with supers on I think the majority of users would avoid that.

    Apistan is still available and if it's used in alternate years may still be fairly effective (haven't had any recent experience with it)
    Lactic acid is also available here in a spray bottle but because the hive needs to be gone through spraying both sides of each frame it is used much less

    Only Oxalic acid is of much use in low temperatures so the other treatments are generally applied in Autumn when there is still brood and that reduces the effectiveness considerably, so they need to be applied over a long period of around 4 weeks to get the varroa emerging with the brood

    I haven't much experience with the Lactic acid although I do have the spray bottle from Thornes
    It would seem to be short acting so presumably you are using this in nearly broodless conditions or repeated spraying as the brood emerges ?

    I believe you use Formic as a treatment in Germany.
    What time of year is that applied ?

  9. #39
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    Hi
    yes I think the vaporisor is not allowed because of the inhalation risk, especially as so many beeks have their hives in Beehouses.
    Here form April-August treatments are biological - drone removal and artificial swarms/ brood removal (also for making new colonies-whateve thats called in english)
    Autumn (end august-Sept) Formic 60 (or with vet permission 85%) / Thymol in Apiguard or Thymovar and some others linked/ brood removal & lactic acid
    December Oxalic solution, or lactic acid..

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