NZBF: Bayvarol per box

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736
588
Christchurch
Experience
Semi Commercial
Two Bayvarol per box in spring is only a half dose. Pretty sure you are supposed to use four. As above, sounds like absconding due to varroa unfortunately. Sorry for your loss.
 
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445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
You know better than the manufacturers ?
No I don't know better than the manufacturers, but in this neck of the woods, in spring when I treat I don't have full boxes of brood frames.

If you use Bayvarol in spring, then read the packet - the manufacturer of Bayvarol states quite clearly "large colonies occupying several brood chambers use four strips per chambers" If I were to use four strips, I would be wasting money. In extreme situations in this area, we will some years use three strips per chamber, but we confer. We don't want resistance to synthetic chemicals in this neck of the woods.

But having said that, so we don't run the risk of chemical residues showing up in our honey, we have changed to use Bayvarol in autumn instead of spring.
 
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445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
For the beginners reading this lets clear this up before it becomes a storm in a tea cup...
i think the confusion here is the term per box, for arguments sake let’s assume the box is full of bees, like packed, and there are 5-8 frames containing brood..
Slip four of those puppies in there to knock out the mite.
Thanks for this comment Stoney. For beginners, yes take Stoney's advice.

I switched off the PC last night when I saw some of the reactions.

Some people posting need to understand if someone writes about their experience and it is working for them, not affecting stock, nor affecting other beekeepers there is no issue. People need to understand that different parts of the country have different weather patterns, the seasons are different, plus people treat to suit there time of operation, whether this be their time of beekeeping, products or services delivered, honey varietals flow differently. In my neck of the woods, I am treating leading up to spring, because I want to run a grafting yard without strips in, and 6-8 weeks later I want to take polys off, but off treated hives! Just because someone may have worked in this area 40 years ago, doesn't mean that weather and farming patterns, and other ideas have not changed.
 
445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
Maggie, this info is in the Beginner section (albeit, shifted from the thread I wrote it in...). Your spring, as a breeder/commercial keeper, starts much earlier than most hobbiests. They typically open hives for the first time in October (ish) when the brood is expanding like crazy...


Two Bayvarol per box in spring is only a half dose. Pretty sure you are supposed to use four. As above, sounds like absconding due to varroa unfortunately. Sorry for your loss.

I am still entitled to say what my practise is, and I notice that you were not definite in what the dose was. So if you are going to post wanting to give specific advise to beginners, then you should be posting with definite advice to beginners. And I also note that you state that your thread has been moved about - how am I meant to know whether a thread has been moved from whereever? Or whether your comment was made before it was shifted to a beginners thread.
 

Alastair

Founder Member
Platinum
8,753
9,966
Auckland
Experience
Semi Commercial
Maggie you present yourself as an educator, so should not have said that 2 strips is all you use, with no further explanation.

As it stood, any newbie would have gained the impression that using 2 strips is fine.

Where I am, 2 strips is not fine.

Because the issue was raised by several posters you have gone on to further explain your reasoning, which I agree with, that in your weak hives that do not fill a box, two strips may be enough.

However this should have been explained in your initial post, and because it was not, is why you have had the reaction that you got. It does need to be pointed out to newbies that your advice, as given in that post, was not good advice for people with stronger hives.

Anyhow I trust that the following posts to your first post have cleared up the matter.
 
445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
Maggie you present yourself as an educator
Alastair - we are all educators! Also please note, I don't think an educator is a title I have ever used in relation to myself.

Yes, in hindsight I do admit that my comment may have been too brief. Unlike some that I believe also made inadequate posts I am not a qualified professional teacher.

As for me not realising I posted in a beginners post. I got up this a.m. after a great night's sleep. Clicked on one of my notifications to see why person had commented on one of my comments. I did not realise that the thread had been shifted overnight. I switch on PC with my early a.m. coffee, not checking things had been moved around.

I have to be honest, I am not about to loose sleep or get my big girl knickers in a twist, in this instance, because a moderator overnight has moved threads.

Anyhow I trust that the following posts to your first post have cleared up the matter.
One would hope so!
 

Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
It's a timely reminder that we need to understand our audience. Posting to a beginner in a beginner specific forum with a NZBF prefix clearly denotes the replies need to be to the book. From the previous forum:

You can see it in the title above as a little orange marker with the letters NZBF: This is available to certain usergroups, when starting a new topic.

What does it do? First of all it's your opportunity to participate, but in a way that offers a safety net - to help you learn the ropes and get to grips with things, but it will also:
  • Act as a marker to staff to keep a close eye on the responses made.
  • Alert more experienced beekeepers that you may require a selective response to your topic.
 


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