Mites - the beginning...

[Marion]

Thank you for the info. Glad I used the MAQS on my hive.

[Beeboy]

Beeboy is using 2 different products and 2 different treatments for mites. Crisco menthol patties for the trachea mites, and Apiguard for controlling varroa. each of these treatments only works on the one type of mite. Formic acid treatments as well as oxalic acid works to kill both mites so even though we are treating against varroa that we can see and easily test for. We are also keeping the trachea mites under control.

Actually the crisco patties work for the varroa mites, but only for the trachea mites when the menthol is put in the patty.

[riverbee]

apiguard is said to work for both varroa and tracheal mites.

[LazyBkpr]

Hives treated Friday with OAV. I check the ground and bottom boards about once every two hours from when I wake to when I go to bed, Its Sunday just after lunch time. No larvae being taken out of hives at this point. I will continue to check, and will re inspect these hives next Friday for queen cells, and then treat them the second time.  This is a total of 22 hives 12 treated Friday, 10 treated Saturday.

[Jen]

Will this be your last treatment for the year?

[LazyBkpr]

Yep.. I'll treat next friday, skip a week and treat one more time and be done until spring.  Just went out and wandered through hives to check for any larvae that have been tossed..  None yet, still looking.

[Yankee11]

Lazy,

I am starting this this week also. Keep us posted, I am gonna follow your schedule.

So your basically doing 3 treatments in a 2 week period.

Also, how many treatments can you do with one charge on your battery. Mine went dead after about 6 but it was brand new and I didn't charge it before using. I have a known full charge now. Just wondering what I should get.

[LazyBkpr]

Yankee. I do three treatments...

   Treatement one
   Wait 7 days do treatment two    7th day
   Wait one week do nothing          14th day
   Wait another week treat again    21st day


   The idea is that the first two treatments will kill existing mites, and the third treatment on the 21st day will catch the bees/mites emerging that had JUST been capped when you started the first treatment.

    I run my vaporizer from the truck battery while the truck is idling. I run the jumper cables out and hook those the the clips on the vaporizer. I use the ground on the battery to turn the vaporizer on and off and that keeps me away from any fumes. 
   From speaking with others a truck/car battery will last anywhere from six to twelve uses. One fellow used the big deep cycle from his boat and said he treated 15 hives with it.  I haven't tried it without the truck running.   When I treat its usually 20 or more hives getting treated so rather than worry about it, and or carry multiple batteries I just use ol Betty so I can keep on keeping on.

[Lburou]

I use one of these for my vaporizor.  Most I've treated at once is about four hives.  If you are fortunate to treat when there is no brood, you need only one treatment. Shoot for that if you can. 

[Beeboy]

apiguard is said to work for both varroa and tracheal mites.

I didn't know that.

[riverbee]

beeboy,

can't say i have ever used it for this purpose (t-mites) but the claim is it does from the website and other material i have read, and also treatment of chalkbrood.  i have used apiguard in the past with success to knock down varroa, most of the beeks i know use menthol crystals or grease patties for t mites, but two beeks i know had apiguard on hand and used it for a t-mite problem, one for chalkbrood and requeened, said it worked:

Apiguard

Trachael Mites / Acarine

randy oliver on 'natural treatments' and thymol:
"Thymol has the added advantage of being active against fungus (chalkbrood) and tracheal mite (to some extent). Unfortunately, it can also leave honey with a “Listerine” taste. Thymol acts as a fumigant (although it doesn’t kill many mites in the brood) —all cracks and holes in the hive need to be sealed, and screened bottoms blocked."
IPM 7 The Arsenal: “Natural” Treatments – Part 2

uc davis entomology on treatment for t-mites:
"A new (to the U.S.) formulation of thymol (thymol gel) may become registered in
California by summer of 2006 for varroa mite control. Thymol acts as a fumigant against
mites in beehives is effective against tracheal mites. Apiguard®"
Treating Colonies for Tracheal Mite Infestation

dave cushman on t mites:
Treatment of Honey Bees for infestation of Acarine Mites-Tracheal Mites

[Yankee11]

Wouldn't it be better to treat early moring or late evening?

I would think the more bees in the hive when you treat the better.

I was amazed at how the bees didn't seem to care at all. I could hear the roar inside the hive when it started vaporizing but no bee came out. Only killed one bee out of 6 hives.

[LazyBkpr]

Yes it would, and as LB said, if you can treat when there is no brood it is the best and only need One treatment.  I treat the way I do because I don't like to go out in the cold, and I also dont like to disturb the hives when its cold.  If I find in the future that treating as I do has some detrimental effect I will have to start treating once the bees cluster.

   I had difficulty understanding how it was possible to treat when the bees were clustered. HOW is the vapor supposed to get through a thick cluster of bees?
   It turns out that the crystals are transferred through contact, so the crystals you coat the outside layer of bees with will get carried into the center of the cluster and transferred through the entire cluster..   In the same manner, if you treat when foragers are out, when they return the crystals will get transferred.

   Treating HALF a hive with a divider in place actually still had a 65% effectiveness at mite reduction on the other half..  The divider was removed after treatment, the crystals transferred and the mites killed.   Granted, it was not as effective as direct treatment but it still had a positive effect.

[Yankee11]

I am thinking that treating now would give them a better chance of building up stronger for the winter?

[LazyBkpr]

If they have a lot of mites I would agree completely.
   That is yet another reason to treat this time of the year..  As Larry COnnor says... Take care of he bees, that will take care of the bees, that will care for the bees that will be going into winter.

[CpnObvious]

I'm putting together an order and need to make sure that I'm reading this right...  I have 3 hives (6 brood bodies)

Apivar® is packaged in vacuum-sealed foil pouches that each contain 10 strips. A single application of two strips per brood chamber is sufficient to treat a hive, so you spend less time and effort treating your bees, and there is less disruption of the bees than with many other treatments.

Do I really need to order 2 packages so I have the 12?  I guess I would, huh?  The upper deeps look like they're becoming more of a honey store for the winter.  Do those need the strips?..  Would that mean I only need 2 strips per hive?  I'm clearly thinking too much... but don't want to over-order treatments... AGAIN!

[iddee]

A brood box is not determined by size. It is what is in it that says what it is. Use 2 strips per 8 or 10 frames of brood, depending on what boxes you are using. It is not an exact measurement.

[LazyBkpr]

   In checking hives today..  I found Larvae outside the hives..  A LOT of larvae!!!!
   I had one of those moments where, the bladder decides it needs to be unleashed?    Then I looked closer, and I looked even closer....    Drones.   ALL drone brood, and there were drones crawling EVERYWHERE..  Apparently the ladies have decided that all freeloaders DIE today!

[CpnObvious]

Apparently the ladies have decided that all freeloaders DIE today!

It doesn't seem to matter the species... they can all be cold and cruel when they want to be.