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Poll

What have you successfully used to treat varroa in your hives?

Oxalic acid vapor
2 (18.2%)
FGMO fogging
2 (18.2%)
FGMO on top bars
0 (0%)
Apistan
3 (27.3%)
Sucrocide
0 (0%)
Api Life Var
1 (9.1%)
Powdered sugar
0 (0%)
Essential oils
0 (0%)
I don't treat for varroa
1 (9.1%)
Nothing I've tried has worked well
2 (18.2%)

Total Members Voted: 0

Author Topic: What do you use to treat varroa?  (Read 7831 times)

Offline Blackbird

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« on: May 31, 2004, 11:25:44 pm »
I am wondering what kind of success people have had with various varroa treatments.
I'd actually like comments as to why something worked or didn't. What have you tried. What finally worked for you. I know Robo is a fan of oxalic acid. I haven't heard much else as far as success stories. Thanks for your input.
Stacie :)

Offline Robo

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2004, 10:11:46 am »
Just so there is no misunderstanding.  I am trying oxalic acid for the first time this year.  I have no personal experience or data to support how effective it is.  I can however say, that I have had mixed results with essential oils and mineral oil (both fog and direct application) over the last 5 years. I have found it too inconsistant to meet my needs.  As I have previously stated, that has been my personal experience, and I am not trying say it doesn't work, as some have claimed success.  I just have not had luck with it.

With that said, I do see oxalic acid as promising from what I have read, and the fact that many Europeans/Canadians have been using it for many years.

I also see the formic acid products that are being developed as promising.  Especially since formic acid can penetrate the wax and kill mites that are under capped brood.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline asleitch

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2004, 07:15:06 am »
You missed IPM (Integrated Pest Management) from you list.

Our club teacher, who is also the local bee inspector has been drumming IPM into us for months now.

I hven't noticed this discussed much on this forum at all.

Adam

Offline asleitch

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2004, 07:17:36 am »
Admin,

Can you delete this second post? The forum was running slow again today, and I submitted twice by mistake.

Also

Q) on another php forum, they have it set up that if you submit twice within a few seconds, it refuses the second post - to stop this exact problem - have you considered enabling this feature?

Q) It'd be nice to be able to delete posts ourselves. Any chance of enabling that? Or having a second level of membership a kind of "poweruser" without Admin rights, but enhanced member rights, e.g. to delete our own posts?

Adam

Offline Lesli

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2004, 08:21:30 am »
Quote from: asleitch
You missed IPM (Integrated Pest Management) from you list.

Our club teacher, who is also the local bee inspector has been drumming IPM into us for months now.

I hven't noticed this discussed much on this forum at all.

Adam


You'll see me discussing it.  :lol: Now that I have my girls, that's the way to go for me. I have no problem using chemicals when needed, but since I don't have to have a honey crop and I'm willing to experiment, I'm definitely going to try IPM with minimal chemicals.

To start with, I'm using screened bottom boards in both my hives. I've also put them in a sunny sopt (until mid-afternoon, when they're shaded) since according to one article I read, that seems to reduce mites.

I'll requeen in the spring, and will choose Russians for their resistance. And I'll see what essential oils can do to keep the mite population down.
**************************
Lesli

Offline asleitch

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2004, 11:10:28 am »
Hmm, I've open mesh floors too - are you drone cell culling?

Adam

Offline Blackbird

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2004, 12:17:14 pm »
I haven't heard the term "IPM"' before. I guess I am doing that to some extent. I'm using screen bottom board. Haven't tried drone culling but when I checked a few (6 or so) drone cells I found no varroa there.
Mite drop is fairly low 3 to 12 in a 24 hr period.
I am going to try to difuse some essential  oils into the hive.
I'd like to hear other methods that fall into the IPM category.

Stacie

Offline asleitch

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2004, 01:02:09 pm »
Varroa prefer drone larvae, as presumable it allows them to breed better.

The standard tecnique for drone cell removal is to insert a super frame into the broodbox, about a third of the way out from the centre - being not at the centre of the hive, they tend to build drone cells of the bottom of this super frame, as it's shorter, it creates a space, and not being in the main area of the hive, they seem more willing to draw it as drone rather than worker.

Every time you examine it, simply slice it off into a bucket. Take it home, and let the birds peck through it. (don't dispose at your apiary) as it attracts birds!

Their is enough other "odd" drone cells in a colony that htis will have not effect on numbers.

Or how about shook swarm?

Take a hive with lots of varroa, shake all the bees into new hive with foundation.

Melt/dispose of the old combs which contain larvae only (with lots of varroa).

You now have a new hive, and the only varroa in it, is those which are on the bees themselves.

About this point the varroa need to breed, and the bees are building foundation.

From another, less infested colony, bring a frame of uncapped larvae across. Mark this frame.

In a couple of days, return, remove and dispose of this frame. Basically, all the varroa on the bees "need" to breed, and foundation, or partially drawn foundation is no good. So having removed all larvae, when you put in a single frame they HAVE to go and use this one frame. It's their only chance of survival. Then you come along and remove it, and in doing so, have almost entirely cleared you hive of the little pests.

Our teaching apiary has been doing this regularly, and it has had negligble effect on end of year honey production. I guess what you loose in the week or two of them drawing foundation, you gain in having better bees with less varroa.

Definately a recommended technique. The Central Science Laboratory in the UK has been doing lots of research on this, and other technqiues. (They are a subsiduary of out Ministry of Agricultre). It just happens, my teacher is employed by the Central Science Laboratory, as a Bee Inspector, and he has the experimental data to prove it works!

Adam

Offline Lesli

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What do you use to treat varroa?
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2004, 01:08:03 pm »
Quote from: asleitch
Hmm, I've open mesh floors too - are you drone cell culling?

Adam


Well, with the bee installation only 14 hours old, no. :) However, I did read some Cornell research into using drone comb. Much like what you describe, except that the whole frame is devoted to drone size cells. When it's full (or whever), pull the frame, put it in the freezer to kill everything, then pop it back in the hive.
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Lesli

 

anything