Author Topic: TYPES OF TREATMENT? (Read 32797 times)

Crofter · « **Reply #20 on:** January 13, 2014, 01:18:21 pm »

Jen, It sounds like we dont have to worry about you getting complacent about mites!

I would mention the idea of rotation of treatments being a possible concern. From my information there does not appear to be resistance development to formic acid or oxalic acid. This is a factor though with coumophos, fluvalinate, and many of the other synthetic strips. Just like with animal wormers you should rotate product type each year to keep the pests from developing resistance to them.

Jen · « **Reply #21 on:** January 13, 2014, 01:29:21 pm »

Yes! my reasoning behind using FA and OA.

I sit on my roof with a 22. casually plucking off any intruder that may harm my children or my bees ~ mother bear here

Crofter · « **Reply #22 on:** January 13, 2014, 01:58:29 pm »

Probably not many showing a resistance to the .22!

Jen · « **Reply #23 on:** January 13, 2014, 02:23:05 pm »

Nope and some still have open wounds~ Ha!

tecumseh · « **Reply #24 on:** January 13, 2014, 06:31:35 pm »

I haven't treated my own bees in a number of years but decided this year that some form of IPM will likely be necessary for the bees at at the TAMU bee lab. < it appear there is very much a trade off here between docile bee and bees with varroa tolerance.

when I did play around with treating first I used sucromid which took way too much time and seem to only marginally effective. I think sucromid now is only registered for a couple of states and Texas ain't one of these. later on I did a bit of oxalic vapor and this seem to me to work extremely well if you applied it at the proper time of the season.

as to treating or not treating... for my own hives I am very much in the non treatment camp although from time to time I will recognize a hive here or there with nosema problem and treat these with a couple of rounds of fumidil in the syrup. I actively promote the idea that there is a genetic solution to the problem of varroa. trachael mites however have never been shown to be an economic threat to southern bee but I am not so certain this is true for northern beekeepers. it is difficult for me to see how anyone can breed a bee that shows resistance to both, so some treatment for one or the other in some locations may be necessary.

Jen · « **Reply #25 on:** January 13, 2014, 06:59:12 pm »

Is Nosema diarrhea of which you can see long strings of it on the outside of the hive? What causes Nosema?

Jen · « **Reply #26 on:** January 13, 2014, 07:05:44 pm »

And, how can you tell if your bees have trachael mites.

Just Gives Me The Shutters Thinking About thousands of mites in my bees throats!!

tecumseh · « **Reply #27 on:** January 14, 2014, 06:13:43 am »

the apis form of nosema signs are pretty much like you describe, however nosema carena is a bit more subtle pathogen to determine. this distinction seem to confuse more old beekeepers than new ones for some reason???

from a purely rational point of view nosema (both of them) and trachael mites can only be accurately distinguished by examination with a low power microscope. each of these disease does have well defined but often times over lapping symptoms so you can come to some recognition of these disease without a microscope < you are here adding weight to the likelyhood that you may be wrong which in statistic speak is referred to as alpha and beta error terms.

GLOCK · « **Reply #28 on:** January 14, 2014, 08:27:15 am »

Quote from: Jen on January 13, 2014, 07:05:44 pm

And, how can you tell if your bees have trachael mites.

They get K-wing looks like this

I use OAV so that keeps care of tracheal mites as well as VARROA .

Perry · « **Reply #29 on:** January 14, 2014, 08:29:30 am »

Nice picture of that Glock.

lazy shooter · « **Reply #30 on:** January 14, 2014, 08:47:37 am »

I haven't treated with anything yet. I hate the thought of strengthening mites, and it's repulsive to think of those mites slowly killing my bees. It is a serious conundrum to me. Oh well, in my business we say, "if you don't know what you are doing, then don't do anything." I'm normally a black and white guy, but the bees and treatment vs non treatment has put me "on the fence." Time will tell!

Jen · « **Reply #31 on:** January 14, 2014, 11:59:01 am »

tec ""each of these disease does have well defined but often times over lapping symptoms so you can come to some recognition of these disease without a microscope < you are here adding weight to the likelyhood that you may be wrong which in statistic speak is referred to as alpha and beta error terms.""

Um.. maybe I just got out of bed, but "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

Jen · « **Reply #32 on:** January 14, 2014, 12:03:34 pm »

Lazy, I understand what you're saying. I too have scratched my head in wondering what to do. However. I do know that Formic Acid sticky strips, oxalic acid, and thymol, so far... have not made a resistant mite. Thymol is effective and non toxic to humans as well. Soo easy to use and affordable. Just lift the lid, lay it in there, put the lid down, the bees do the rest.

rodmaker · « **Reply #33 on:** January 14, 2014, 01:34:02 pm »

I use tea tree oil as a might control it has been effective so far use 1cc in a quart of 1to 1 sugar syrup the week after i feed zero might drop. If i have a real high might count i use a propane fogger mineral oil with a couple of drops of winter green oil very fast to reduce the mites. Watched a video by fat bee man

Jen · « **Reply #34 on:** January 14, 2014, 02:06:53 pm »

rod- would you then have a sticky board to determine the effectiveness of your method?

GLOCK · « **Reply #35 on:** January 14, 2014, 03:42:55 pm »

I fogged with FGMO last spring and summer till the end of JULY and I did alcohol washes on all my hives and I had high mite count. so I switched to OAV and man did I have some scary mite drops just 1000s and 1000s.

This was from a hive that had all ready been treated 3 time with OAV . This is after there was no brood left in late fall. I had fogged every week from all spring and till end of JULY with straight FGMO just to see if it worked and it did not . I plan on threating a couple of my hives this coming year with the fogger but I going to try some oils like tea tree and thyme oil since I have the fogger .

rodmaker · « **Reply #36 on:** January 14, 2014, 05:36:35 pm »

Jen yes home made sticky board. glock i used fogger with mineral oil and wintergreen mix it worked for me i have not tried any other method of mite control so have nothing to compare to.

rodmaker · « **Reply #37 on:** January 14, 2014, 05:40:11 pm »

Jen where would i look for a vaporizer and how to use. might try so i have something to compare to.

Jen · « **Reply #38 on:** January 14, 2014, 06:03:26 pm »

Glock - Creepy isn't it! Blech! Shivers! I know from observation that after I treated my bees this fall with Formic Acid sticky Strips, that my bees were way busier than what I had been observing. Ya can't tell me that the mites don't have an effect on the well being of the bees.

Jen · « **Reply #39 on:** January 14, 2014, 06:20:47 pm »

rod- here are the two oa vaporizers for sale. These are the websites I learned from. The Varrox is more expensive. But I've heard many say that Varrox is the cadillac and the Heilyser is the Chevy/Ford. Both good vehicles. I'm going to look for a youtube as well and post that. The Varrox has a nice video tutorial.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/orioleln/vaporizer.html

http://shop.biovet.ch/Webportal/showpage.asp?pagename=Varroabehandlung-Varrox-Verdampfer&ula=1

Oh! and I have a friend in Denmark that only uses this method with a sticky board. He gives his hives a shot as soon as there is no more brood in the early fall, then again just before brooding in the spring. His hives are mite free.