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Author Topic: Hopguard  (Read 7869 times)

Offline lorenzo

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Hopguard
« on: January 29, 2013, 06:51:33 pm »
Hello everyone,

I've already read some topics about HopGuard in this forum, and get some information about it, but I would like make a new question.

Does HopGuard treatment have any inconvenient like Tymol do?

Tymol is a good treatment in Varroa control but with it we have some problems. Changes in bee life and lots of beehive unit. With tymol treatment bee becomes more nervous and start to have fight. Beehive more weak or without queen get attached from the others. Also we observe changes in bee distribution. Bee gets far from tymol and brood change is usual distribution.
Because of this inconvenient we prefer use the Oxalic Acid two time during the year, in August and December, keeping the queen in a cage for tree weeks to reduce the brood and make it more effective.

Have you had some similar inconvenient with the use of HopGuard?

Offline AllenF

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2013, 08:58:07 pm »
I used Hopguard last fall.  It was messy.   Drips a lot.  Bees jumped on the strips before I could get them into the hive.   They seemed fine after I closed up the hives.   But I know they were chewing up the strips because of the dust coming out of the hives.  This is about all I know if it. 

Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2013, 10:14:34 am »

Offline Bush_84

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2013, 11:18:48 am »
I have used hopguard and I have seen gobs of mites drop.  The biggest issue with hopguard is that it doesn't kill mites in capped brood.  So you need multiple treatments to treat a hive fully.  Most used three treatments each separated by a week to ten days.  That way when bees and varroa emerge you will hit them with the second and third treatment. 

My bees have tolerated it very well.  I have not seen any queen issues.  I have only noted bee death with a few that get covered in the goop.  Otherwise the bees chew it up and spit out the waste in days.

That beesource topic talks about hopguard 2.  I will be curious to see what that is.  I will be honest that having to apply the strips so often is a pain and I may try out Apivar this year.  I still have some hopguard left so maybe I will use it early spring.
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline AliciaH

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2013, 02:00:22 pm »
Ditto what Bush_84 said.  Many of us in WA have used Hopguard and also found that it doesn't work as the original directions say to use it.  The disappointment here has been pretty high.  The initial mite drop is great, but it is successive applications that are needed to get the next generations that are coming out of the cells.  The other problem is the quantity you have to buy it in.  50 strips/package is too many for most backyard beekeepers and...

Bush_85:  It doesn't save -- I tried.  Maybe I didn't seal it up tight enough, so if someone else out there has had success, please share how it was stored.  But when I tried to use some last spring that I had over-wintered, I got no mite drop at all.  Had to open a new bag.

I didn't know about Hopguard II, but will keep an eye and ear out!

Offline Finski

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2013, 08:11:03 am »
Hello everyone,

I've already read some topics about HopGuard in this forum, and get some information about it, but I would like make a new question.

Does HopGuard treatment have any inconvenient like Tymol do?

Tymol is a good treatment in Varroa control but with it we have some problems. Changes in bee life and lots of beehive unit. With tymol treatment bee becomes more nervous and start to have fight. Beehive more weak or without queen get attached from the others. Also we observe changes in bee distribution. Bee gets far from tymol and brood change is usual distribution.
Because of this inconvenient we prefer use the Oxalic Acid two time during the year, in August and December, keeping the queen in a cage for tree weeks to reduce the brood and make it more effective.

Have you had some similar inconvenient with the use of HopGuard?


all what you write here is false information.

.
.
Language barrier NOT included

Offline Bush_84

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2013, 08:23:41 am »
Ditto what Bush_84 said.  Many of us in WA have used Hopguard and also found that it doesn't work as the original directions say to use it.  The disappointment here has been pretty high.  The initial mite drop is great, but it is successive applications that are needed to get the next generations that are coming out of the cells.  The other problem is the quantity you have to buy it in.  50 strips/package is too many for most backyard beekeepers and...

Bush_85:  It doesn't save -- I tried.  Maybe I didn't seal it up tight enough, so if someone else out there has had success, please share how it was stored.  But when I tried to use some last spring that I had over-wintered, I got no mite drop at all.  Had to open a new bag.

I didn't know about Hopguard II, but will keep an eye and ear out!

I stored it in a tupper ware container.  Haven't checked on it yet, but I did use it my first and second year without issue.
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline AliciaH

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Re: Hopguard
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2013, 02:11:47 pm »
Does HopGuard treatment have any inconvenient like Tymol do?

Since more folks are using it for multiple applications (while the package directions advocate a single application 3x/year), I did an internet search for Dr. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman of Carl Hayden Bee Research.  She's been the lead on the Hopguard field trials.  I'll be danged, she actually called me!  I asked her about any damaging effects on the bees if Hopguard was applied 3x (1 treatment a week for 3 weeks).  She said, no, they had not documented any adverse effects on the bees with this type of use.

I did not directly ask her whether they were actually testing for that, but I know that folks here at home using the product that way have not reported any problems, either.

Applying 3x is a huge time issue, especially for the commercial guys.  She indicated a new Hopguard product being developed that could be applied one time but would last 3 weeks, covering a brood cycle.  I asked her if this might be the "Hopguard II" I was reading about on the blogs?  She paused and admitted, "yes", but did not elaborate beyond that.


I stored it in a tupper ware container.  Haven't checked on it yet, but I did use it my first and second year without issue.

Thanks!  I had mine is a zip lock baggie.  Maybe I should have ziplocked it AND put it in tupperware!  :)