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Author Topic: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!  (Read 8510 times)

Offline cdanderson

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Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« on: August 06, 2011, 05:52:53 pm »
I run a 10 frame deep and 1 shallow as my basic set up.  I have been using the "soft" treatments for the last few years. (Api Life Var, Api guard).     Now, I have mite counts that are getting too high  (60 is considered a treatment threshhold for my area this time of year) .  I am way above that on several hives.  I have an expensive carton of MAQS but its too dang hot to use it.  Has been since late May.    No days below 93 and none in the forecast . In early Spring, it doesnt seem to get warm enough here early enough to use these types of treatments and remove them in plenty of time.

I cant think of what to do except:  use powdered sugar (which I dont have alot of faith in) or just pray for a cool front.

Any suggestions ?
Charlotte
SC Master Beekeeper
"My bees obviously dont read the same books as me !"

Offline rbinhood

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2011, 06:04:37 pm »
Do you use SSB, if so sue powdered sugar and make sure you dust each frame getting as much sugar on the bees as possable.  You will need to do this at least 3 consecutive weeks for it to be effective.
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Offline Finski

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2011, 02:00:33 am »
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Api Life Var and  Api guard are thymol based stuffs.
They are used when yield has taken away from hives.

The treatment period is 3 weeks. Thymols does not affect under brood cappings.

If the mite load is serious, you may do a fakse swarm. Move the hive 10 metres away and put a new hive on the old site. Put drawn combs there and couople of frames pollen. Put there a queen and a frame of open larvae. Not sealed brood.

Now bees fly thmselves to the empty hive. It takes about 3 days that all bees are moved.

Now all mites are freely on bees. Give them thymol cure and the deat rate of mites will be near 100%.

Then let the bees emerge in brood part. When they emerge, onece a week give them a cure and you get again 100% dead rate.

This is a harsh method but you get a clean hives which makes healty wintering bees.

When you have done that job, you have a new emergency queen in brood part which start to lay.

You may join the hive parts or keep 2 hives.
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Offline cdanderson

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2011, 03:29:32 pm »
Thank you.  I am familiar with the normal treatments.  I am a new visitor to the forum but not a new beekeeper.  I have 25 hives.  All surplus has been removed.  I have the new MAQS (formic) but it is too hot to use it !  Too hot for thymol too.

I was curious if anyone had tried using the MAQS at half dose because of the heat.

I guess I will have to use the sugar and hope that will hold them until a few cooler days arrive.

Charlotte
SC Master Beekeeper
"My bees obviously dont read the same books as me !"

Offline Finski

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2011, 04:08:52 pm »
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cdanderson , you live in South Carolina. When do your hives stop brooding, I mean, when they rear winter brood?
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Offline Buffalo Bee Farm

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2011, 02:56:53 pm »
CD,

I live in central VA USA and just applied the MAQS two weeks ago during a quick and brief cooler spell in the upper 80's the first day, low 90's the second day and then around 96 the third day and low 90's after that. The hives were 2 deeps tall and i had moved the upper deep back about 1/2 inch and had open screen bottoms. The queens were all fine but had stopped laying for atleast 4 days as i only had eggs on the 7th day.

I applied thymol api guard gel just this past friday on more hives to test it.

I like the MAQS's quick application and time period, and i saw dead mites ontop of the pads so i know it killed mites, but the only way i can tell if it knocked them back IMO is when the brood gets caped etc, prior to the treatment i had spotty brood, alot of chewed heads from mite removal via the bees and and uncapping, and alot of DWV. So we shall see.

Doug Ladd
Buffalo Bee Farm
Buckingham VA


Offline Poppi

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2011, 07:56:51 pm »
CD  did you every decide which of the varroa treatments to use?  If so, which one and how successful was it.   I'm in SC as well and I tried the pwdr sugar and it was a bust for sure...  I need to treat now while the temps are in a favorable range.

Offline cdanderson

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2012, 01:08:34 pm »
I used the MAQs last summer and had good results.  I added an extra super for ventilation and did not have any brood kill or dead queens that some people have experienced.  I am torn between it and going back to Api Guard this summer.
Charlotte
SC Master Beekeeper
"My bees obviously dont read the same books as me !"

Offline theriverhawk

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2012, 07:10:25 pm »
A true "soft treatment":  Outbreed the mites.  Remove your queen and allow the hive to make a new queen.  That's 21 days of no new brood...and no new mite production.  If you'll dust with powdered sugar during this time, you can really knock the mite numbers down really low.  FatBeeMan also fogs with mineral oil.  I've done it.  Seems to up the drop numbers, too.  Here's a link to FatBeeMan treating:  Fatbeeman demonstrates Natural Mite Control with fogger

Offline Pearl City Apiary

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Re: Soft Varroa Treatments and HEAT!
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2012, 05:51:13 pm »
I realize this thread is dated but FYI

Apiguard can be used in temps as high as 105°