Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Hopguard  (Read 6707 times)

Offline olii2d

  • Brood
  • Posts: 2
Hopguard
« on: March 23, 2012, 03:47:13 pm »
Haven't seen much said about Hopguard.Does anyone use it?

Offline AliciaH

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 769
  • Gender: Female
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2012, 02:51:18 pm »
I was hoping others would have more to offer, but here is what I can tell you (a mixture of experience and club talk and reading):

HopGuard was originally recommended for use 3x over the course of a season; one application in the spring, one in summer, one in fall.  Many of us discovered that after the fall use, mite counts continued to climb.  The reason is because HopGuard only works on the phoretic (freerunning) mites - it doesn't get the larger population hiding in the cells.  As a result, there was a lot of disappointment and some scrambling at the end of this last season (at least by me).

On the plus side, the initial mite drop was incredible!  I can, and probably will, use it again to do a "knock back" if at some point over the season I find a hive with a higher than desired mite load.  But as a method of getting rid of varroa to the point where the bees can stay healthy -- well, no.  At least not while there is a lot of brood present.

HOWEVER, I did notice that in one of the bee mags (sorry, don't remember which one), Dr. Steve Sheppard, from WSU, did say it could be used during the winter months when the brood cycle had slowed or stopped.  This makes sense to me because of the above-mentioned issues.  I think some folks would be more comfortable putting a few premeasured strips in their hive over the winter rather than trying to mix OA, and the concept is the same -- attack the varroa when they have no place to hide.

Admittedly, I have not read any of the new literature for HopGuard so don't know if they have changed their recommendations for it's use this year.  If not, and you are considering using it, I would recommend incorporating it into a larger varroa treatment protocol.  Like I said, the initial drop is great, but there are limitations.


Offline Diogenes

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 66
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2012, 01:13:09 am »
I've been hearing that the 3 treatments should be a week apart.

Gonna give it a try soon.

 8-)
"Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation." - Milton Friedman

Offline AllenF

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8192
  • Gender: Male
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2012, 09:04:14 am »
Simply add HopGuardTM to hives at the rate of 2 insert strips per 10 frames. Strips should be hung between frames.
HopGuardTM is most effective when used during the pre-pollination period (before sealed brood), mid-summer, and at the onset of winter brood development.
HopGuardTM may be applied up to 3 times per year, even during honey flow.
HopGuardTM has been approved for use under Section 18 emergency use exemptions in selected states. HopGuardTM does not have Section 18 emergency use exemptions in all states.

Offline heus

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 12
  • Gender: Male
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2012, 05:31:21 pm »
What Diogenes said. Thats what Ive heard on other forums.

Offline AllenF

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8192
  • Gender: Male
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2012, 08:04:19 pm »
From the manufacturer:
A maximum of three applications per year (six strips or approximately 11.52 grams of potassium salt of hop beta acids) per ten frame brood super (chamber) is allowed. Application timing (usually during spring, summer, and fall) should be based on levels of Varroa mite observed in the colony. Users may not take honey and wax from the brood chambers, only from the honey supers.
Any adverse effects resulting from the use of HopGuardā„¢ under this emergency exemption must be immediately reported to your State Department of Agriculture.
Using this product in rotation with another approved miticide with a different mode of action will decrease the potential for Varroa mites to develop resistance. If the strip remains in the hive more than 4 weeks remove.

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2012, 12:29:37 am »
I'm hoping it will knock the mites back enough so I dont have to pull honey supers of to treat in early fall in order to insure I get healthy winter bees.  You could give the mites a final punch with OA in December.  Two strips, every week in the brood nest will cost $1.80 a hive.  Thats dirt cheap if you can harvest another 10-20 lbs a hive.  OA costs a couple cents.  Thats less then $2 a hive a year. I was going to try formic last fall but I dont like the risk of queen loss at all.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline Diogenes

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 66
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2012, 10:03:10 pm »
Well, I didn't find any mites today after installing week 3's treatment Sunday. They have gotten tired of chewing the strips though. I ended-up removing the week 2 strips.

Had quite a few under the SBB's on week 1.

Now I have to make sure they're ready for a snow-belt winter.

 8-)
"Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation." - Milton Friedman

Offline Pearl City Apiary

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2012, 10:27:14 pm »
Used it.  Treated about 30 hives with it.  Did one treatment per week for three weeks.  Did an OK job.....not great.  Decent mite drop after first treatment.

Once the strips dry up they are useless.  The bees do get tired or chewing the strips.

For a large operation, the amount of labor of treating both boxes three times is no good.

Apiguard is still my treatment of choice.  Treated 45 hives at the same time saw more drop and hives appear healthier thtn the hopguard ones.

Not a bad product.....just not the best.

Oh yeah! Expensive

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Hopguard
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2012, 04:04:56 am »
I agree about the hassle.  I will only use them as a summer time emergency treatment to get by until supers can be removed.  If the main ingredient could be put in a gel form that would take weeks for the bees to clean up and get a 90% kill it would be a much better product.  That said its a move in the right direction as it is honey safe.  Great for the hobby beek that has more time to commit to each single colony and wants to be hard chemical free and not contaminate combs. 
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson