❸ Apiguard mite treatment. Did it work? Is it effective? Here's proof...

S03E37 Tracking our Fall Apiguard Treatment with data to show it's efficacy including SHB counts for 1 month. Apiguard is a great organic mite treatment that we tried for the first time this year. The video share ours our results and experience.
Be sure to read the label and follow the instructions. There are some nuances found in the FAQ on their website that is worth reading. www.vita-europ...
There are several other great videos on why and how to use Apiguard from ‪@bobbinnie9872‬ ‪@beesintheweeds‬ ‪@thebeesupply‬ ‪@kamonreynolds‬ I encourage you to watch their videos as they cover the Why and How for their specific situations.
Thanks for watching!
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Some of the links may contain affiliate links, which I may earn a small commission on, if purchases are made through that link. This will not add to your price. Thanks for your support.

[@beesintheweeds]

Nice video Brian and thanks for the mention, much appreciated. Those are some crazy high mite loads and SHB numbers. The bees don’t seem to be exhibiting good grooming qualities. Any thoughts as to why? I am currently working on proactively raising queens that do and splitting those colonies to promote good hygiene in the apiary. Colonies with poor hygiene will get culled. We have to do more as beeks when it comes to Vorroa. I appreciate your detailed analysis and reporting, excellent work. I wonder if the hives had more direct sunlight if you would see a natural decrease in SHB numbers. Good video!

[@BrianCooper901]

The mite loads on some seemed high even though they washed low. I'm trying to correlate the mite drop to actual alcohol wash numbers to get a better feel for when I need to treat or at least check them with an alcohol wash (some of the data I showed at the end.) There are so many variables it's hard to say regarding hygiene. Last year I only treated the hives that needed it this year I treated them all. Some of the hives may not have had a brood break so may have just had more time for the to build up. Ideally my splits will come from the queens with lower mite loads BUT those may have been low due to the brood breaks. Our bees are mostly just local stock at this point. I aim for calm bees that I can sell to other backyard beekeepers. Our girls averaged over 110lbs of honey per hive this year too. The SHB are definitely worse in the shade. I don't have much access to full sun and with our heat I prefer the shade during the summer and all the leaves drop in the fall so they get winter sun. We do have SHBs but rarely have them cause damage in the hive unless it's weak. We typically only see a dozen or so when doing inspections so I'm surprised to see how many die in the bottom trays. We do live in an older neighborhood with large trees so I could only imagine some of the SHB are coming from feral colonies that may be getting over run be them. Thanks for taking the time comment. I really enjoy your videos.

[@marcogold22]

Thanks for sharing !!

[@BrianCooper901]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@saltycreole2673]

At 7,800 ft, highs of 75° and lows of 35° during summer and average 15% humidity, we see zero mites in Northwestern NM. We. Are. Blessed.

[@BrianCooper901]

Very! I'd bet SHB are not an issue either.

[@CastleHives]

Never used Apiguard, but i've seen it, I might add it to my IPM next year just to change up treatments.

[@BrianCooper901]

Hey Brian, rotating treatments is good to keep the mites from building resistance even though the mites haven't built a resistance to the organics yet. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Beekeeping_Bro]

Nice work Brian. I use OA strips made from cardboard and planing to use OA strips till May. Im using Thymol blacks-strips like Randy Oliver research they are working great. Im using also bottom screened board with tray so I can get info on VM drop. I’m not using OA vapor I think is to dangers for Beekeeper.

[@BrianCooper901]

Thanks! I do use OA Vapor as a clean up but I am very cautious with it. It can be dangerous if you get too comfortable with it.

[@Beekeeping_Bro]

I was using OA vapor but since I find how OA strips are efficient I stop using vapor