Effectiveness of varroa treatment

[Alastair]

Alistair, I wouldn't be sitting on $7K of product you think is faulty. At the very least, you need to log this with both the company who supplied it and Elanco as well - they will probably take some of the strips to make sure they work. Make sure you keep any varroa from the riddled hives (dead in alcohol is just fine) because if you log in with Elanco then they will want some of the varroa for testing most likely.

We need a more user-friendly version of the Pettis (resistance) test available

Thanks John. Unfortunately a bit late now. Once I saw the carnage and losing more hives by the day, I panicked, drove down to the suppliers, got Apivar, and have put it in every hive that looks like it has a shot at making it to spring. And the rest, just to eliminate all possible mites.

As to the 7k of bayvarol, I know I am not alone in this, there are bigger and more influential beeks than me with the same issues, I'll wait for the outcome from whatever action they take & ride on their coat tails. Yeah lazy I know but I'm about done.

Next treatment round will start mid August, only a bit over 2 months away. All that can be done at this time has been done, I'm not opening any more hives now until then.

Just depending how things go I think losses will be limited to between 10% and 25%. This will not be a problem to make back up, I'm not worried about it. In fact I rather enjoyed the very intensive work I have done on the hives, and how I think I have pulled many of them back from the brink. More worried about the longer term implications of unreliable mite treatment.

 

[Otto]

More worried about the longer term implications of unreliable mite treatment.

My only suggestion is to branch out with your treatment options. There are others commercially available (formic based, thymol based etc - I don't have any experience with these) and there are a number of ways to apply the likes of oxalic acid. I know you have tried staples and didn't have the greatest success but I would recommend giving them another go.
It is worth experimenting using some of these other methods with at least some hives and seeing if and how you can get them to work for you.

looks like i will have to get my head around making my own OA strips.

Which part/s are you struggling with?

 

[John B]

Told you it was real.

 

[kaihoka]

Which part/s are you struggling with?

The bit where I can't just go to a shop and buy something already made that I just put in my hive .

 

[yesbut]

The bit where I can't just go to a shop and buy something already made that I just put in my hive .

Where were you the year before last when the Oxalic thread took over the other forum ? Philbee is still up there selling strips...Lake Bush Honey....

 

[Otto]

The bit where I can't just go to a shop and buy something already made that I just put in my hive .

Do you have the same issue when it comes to dinner
Pretty straight forward recipe to follow to make the staples...

 

[tommy dave]

I'm one of those with a bayvarol in spring, apivar in autumn approach. Nervous about spring treatment now..

 

[southbee]

I'm one of those with a bayvarol in spring, apivar in autumn approach. Nervous about spring treatment now..

We treated with Bayvarol this autumn and had no issues so far. But....keeping all what's said here well in my head to get prepared for when things change. Sooner or later we'll have to look at other treatment methods by the sounds of it.

 

[Alastair]

I'm one of those with a bayvarol in spring, apivar in autumn approach. Nervous about spring treatment now..

Feedback I've had chatting with people is there is not an issue in your neck of the woods. Yet.

 

[stoney]

The ox/gl staple users are pretty quiet on this thread.. love to hear how they’re getting on around the country, just driven 1070km from auckland to home plenty of wintered down hives seen up north along SH1... what’s going on inside them all could be another story

 

[Alastair]

There's plenty people around here using Phils staples. I know, cos I see bee trucks around the place with orange buckets on the back.

 

[Alastair]

The ox/gl staple users are pretty quiet on this thread.. love to hear how they’re getting on

Are you one? How are you getting on?

 

[stoney]

Can neither confirm nor deny 😉 I’m happy with state of my nation at this stage of the game.. starting tomorrow we are in for the drenching of all drenchings for over 10 years if you believe the media... good to be beside the open fire that’s for sure.

 

[stoney]

Orange buckets are available to purchase from mitre ten.. a popular beekeepers fashion accessory these days it seems.. possibly full of used nitrile gloves or maybe even a good place to store smoker fuel or even used synthetic treatments

 

[Alastair]

Can neither confirm nor deny

So much secrecy.

Still.

 

[Otto]

Don't understand the secrecy...
I've covered what I do elsewhere. My oxalic/glycerine staples are working very nicely for me now and my hives are in as good a shape as they've ever been. I trust my own homemade treatments more than anything bought ready-made and feel much more in control of it all than I ever have before.
I know my brother (also a commercial beekeeper) has been using oxalic in other ways (mainly as a dribble) for years now (no synthetics) and has it working very nicely. He specializes more in queen production so utilizes induced brood breaks to make it work well.

 

[kaihoka]

Where were you the year before last when the Oxalic thread took over the other forum ? Philbee is still up there selling strips...Lake Bush Honey....

Thanks for that
I would happliy buy strips from philip
I will check it out .

 

[kaihoka]

Do you have the same issue when it comes to dinner
Pretty straight forward recipe to follow to make the staples...

I absolutely have the same issue when it comes to cooking dinner.
I have spent 40 yrs living sustainably and self sufficently and I am really over it.

 

[frazzledfozzle]

I would very much like to give Phil’s staples another go but so nervous after the disaster we had when we used them in autumn a few years ago.

I think in retrospect it was probably a combination of the staples and us not really knowing what we were doing that caused our big losses.

it’s one of those chicken and egg situations but probably our actions caused the problem.

 

[kaihoka]

I would very much like to give Phil’s staples another go but so nervous after the disaster we had when we used them in autumn a few years ago.

I think in retrospect it was probably a combination of the staples and us not really knowing what we were doing that caused our big losses.

it’s one of those chicken and egg situations but probably our actions caused the problem.

I used them for two yrs and it worked and will try and get hold of more .
But I would use bayvarol and apivar some yrs .
Mix it up I think .