Back in the bees again.

[Lastfling]

It's been a stretch of months (8 1/2 to be exact) since I lost my hives late last summer, but I'm finally back in the bees again.  I installed two packages this past Monday and checked yesterday for queen release.  Both queen cages were empty (yay!), bees are bringing in the pollen, and sucking down the 1:1, having gone through nearly 2 gallons per hive. 

My only omission so far, to the best of my knowledge, is that I had planned on treating the package with OAV prior to install.  Running short of time - weather coming in - and lack a suitable box, I went ahead and installed without treating.  I believe I have a window of time prior to any new brood being capped that I can still treat to capture the mites during their phoretic phase and avoid multiple treatments initially.

Assuming queen was released on day one (Tuesday) and begin laying - newly hatched larvae would be expected yesterday.  Of course, that is best case.  Worst case is eggs maybe or not.

The question I have is - is now to soon?  Not wanting to disturb the colony, I didn't do an in depth inspection looking for eggs/larvae when I removed the cages.  If there are no eggs to help anchor the colony is there a big risk of an OAV treatment causing absconding? 

Today would be an ideal time to do the OAV as there is rain forecast for the nearly all next week beginning tomorrow.  If I have to wait then I run the risk of missing the uncapped brood period and mites getting under the caps thereby forcing a multiple treatment scenario. 

I've missed this stuff.   

Hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day weekend, and to those Veterans out there - Thank You for your service.
Warren

[Bakersdozen]

According to Randy Oliver, www.scientificbeekeeping.com. these are his recommendations.  I followed this on two packages of bees this summer.
 So far, so good.  http://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-dribble-tips/
"Alternatively, although you could directly treat bees in a package, I’d suggest installing them normally, and then treating them in the hive between Days 5 and 7 after installation.  The timing is due to the fact that even if the queen starts laying eggs the day after installation, it wouldn’t be until Day 9 that the first brood would be of suitable age for mite invasion.  Oxalic dribble kills mites for roughly 3 days after application.  Thus, if you dribble the recently-installed package on Day 6, the full effect of the treatment will have taken place prior to the first opportunity for the mites to hide in the brood.

You can also use this method with shook swarms, or for any divide made without brood."

[Lastfling]

So, you're doing dribble vs vaporization?  Would it make a difference you think?

Installed Monday so day 5 would be today and day 9 Tuesday would be the window of opportunity? 

Thanks
Warren

[Bakersdozen]

Yes dribble over vaporization.  Randy Oliver explains the application method.  You will need a 50 cc syringe from a farm & home store or similar and some sugar syrup along with the OA.   All you need to do is kill any varroa that the package may have brought with them. There isn't any sealed brood yet, so you will catch the varroa before the bees seal up the brood. 
If you are using drawn comb and the queen starts laying immediately after being released that is day one. Randy says the best day is day 6, so you still have time.