One Week Mite Purge

[@dcsblessedbees]

Oh that is what you were talking about on Charlies Chat. Glad you could join us, some great conversation.Thanks for sharing Ian. Grats on the better numbers.👍

[@ThatBeeMan]

That's a breath of fresh air. Something is working. I do believe that we just need to learn how to best use these alternate tools such as ApiLifeVar and Formic etc.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Or synergies of such targeted at specific conditions

[@johnn1a2]

Thanks for sharing. I just used apilife this yr on some winter nucs first time. Started up again knowing now that ok with apivar strips. Glad your getting pleasant results. Thanks again

[@chamberelga1653]

That's really great result!

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

If I'm not mistaken it's not the thymol that is chasing the beast out it is the camphor. Thank you for the update Ian!

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Can you elaborate on that comment ?

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog I did a deep dive into camphor oil. It is a chemical irritant to insects. Apparently it can be used for head lice for instance. Russell Koopman and I were speculating that if you had founding mites inside of an uncapped brood it might actually chase them out...? As well as being antimicrobial, camphor could possibly drive mites physically away.

[@glennsnaturalhoney4571]

​@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog apigard doesn't seem to have the same effect, and it is thymol also. Right?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

@@MinnesotaBeekeeper I don’t have experience with apiguard . You maybe correct. We used another thymol type treatment years ago with the same brood nest shut down . Im just getting my feet wet again here

[@luellapeters9158]

Great to see the numbers coming down. My hives are putting heavy syrup pressure on that melon size nest and plugging out. Do I have that timing right here in southern mb? It's been unseasonably warm and I know that will change quickly but just want to time that right. Just keep the feed to them now till the end?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Yes that’s about right

[@luellapeters9158]

Thank you, your willingness to share is amazing!

[@Bri_bees]

What if you cut 2 small slots in the front of the hive. You could put Apivar stripes in all winter and Change them every 45 days. 3 sets per hive but mite free hive in the spring.

[@whoeverit9087]

Do you have an available treatment to use with supers on that could be put in place as you set up your first round of honey pull?. Lift off full supers, drop in treatment under excluder, add empty boxes and bee escape, replace full supers. Hopefully you should gain an extra cycle of healthy bees to build the winteer nest.

[@carloscrenz9433]

Hola qué lindo sistema de trabajo de diez 👏👏👏👏🐝😎

[@MatWalter-q3h]

FWIW... I washed 330 bees in alcohol (the instructions say to using something that does not foam) I got about 8. I was disappointed... so I set it on the table and walked away.... (I live alone in a big house) 48 hours passes and I decided to clear the table... counted the mites again... same.... a little OCD so I emptied the alcohol into the lid... dumped out mites and give a one minute swirl for the hell of it..... OMG 6 MORE MITES. You have to know how compulsive I am to know that the previous wash was plenty long enough...3-5 mins for sure This would indicate to me anyone washing in soap and only giving it a 3-4 minutes of swirl and calls it good is NOT getting real world numbers. Frankly this is terrifying as all my hives were at about 2% after treatment.... if they are actually 3-4% I may not have any hives come March.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

I disagree, and I’ve checked . The soap does a way better job at dropping mites

[@MatWalter-q3h]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog Thank you for the reply. I have not tried the soap as the instructions said to use something none foaming. Guessing the alcohol would kill them quicker but the soap probably 'washes' them free to bee seen by us. There is no question that a brood break and treatment at the same time is critical. However we manage it. A heat treatment on the nucs we make seems the easiest as it is the smallest amount of frames to treat with the highest number of mite free hives at the end of the treatment. At this point I feel like a varroa mite mite hunter not a bee keeper

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

@@MatWalter-q3h I’ve followed up with an alcohol wash to verify and I’d say the soap is quicker and more accurate

[@MatWalter-q3h]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog At the risk of beating my own drum this is a good example of how we have some good tools but I swear if you follow the directions one does not get the best results. Thanks for looking. Die mites die! Can I still say that? Dont answer that;

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

Woohoo 😂 ones are good but zeros are epic, go thymol👍 it's making me really curious how much the natural thymol from thyme nectar and pollen is affecting my mite counts though because when you open a hive on the flow here it just about blows you across to Argentina the thyme smell is that strong. I'm really interested to get this comparison apairy I've been given to put bee's in near Dunedin on the coast up and running so I can track the difference between the coastal bush apairy and my hives on solid thyme forage👍😃👋

[@researcherAmateur]

I would took me some fresh pic time and some dry.. and put it on top in a couple of hives for bees to clean , or not if it's too strong... and watch for varroa drops or signs that bees stay away from it.

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

@@researcherAmateur my central Otago hives are surrounded by it, it's our main crop and there's nothing but thyme, it's pretty much all that grows here. one of the neighbors mows thyme to sell for thymol processing and to cerebros Gregg's for herbs. Im not sure how much of a difference putting the plant inside the hives is going to make 🤷 interesting suggestion

[@louiseibbotson588]

@@Manuherikiabeekeepingvery interesting, if your bees are foraging on thyme what are your mite counts before you treat , do you need to treat ??

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

@@louiseibbotson588 😃 unfortunately yes I need to treat and my mite counts in central Otago are typically 1-2 percent at spring peak which for us is right now, brood cycle one has just been capped. I have a couple of hobbyists in the area I'm helping this year and both sets of their hives are very very high because one last treated in January, and the other left apivar strips in all autumn and winter expecting them to work for five months. Every beekeeper I know has to treat for mites in central Otago, most of us use oxalic acid vapour. I have had to use a chemical treatment, bayvarol, in both the hobbyists apairys because of the extreme mite counts but that's inexperience and not reading the directions😂once we get thier mites knocked back I'll be teaching them how to use oxalic acid vapour and strips in combination which give us good results in mite drops and don't effect the brood or honey supers. I treat with vapour in a four day cycle for five rounds. as much as I hate the blasted chemical strips I hate varroa more.

[@georgebarbu735]

Ian, what type of Thymol and how much did you use.

[@russellkoopman3004]

That seems to be quite unusual to lower the count that quickly. Maybe it is a synergism - who knows but at least you got the bloody mite count down. With an additional 2 rounds of OA you should come out of the shed next spring with very clean bees.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

I think it definitely helped to have the colony next to broodless

[@harrisjoubertwithsleepycre1924]

good to see the numbers going down

[@matthewsweeney2577]

Do you have momma’s car in the bee yard again? 😊

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Lol Don’t tell

[@bokino7261]

Always a relief to see the counts drop. Thymovar and Apilifevar did a poor job for me last fall but had performed well in a smaller scale trial the fall before. Seems like Thymol might be a bit finicky.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

I might be working a synergy here too

[@bokino7261]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog Synergies seem to be the way to go, but I always feel a bit naughty using them. I agree that having the Tech Transfers work on them could be a huge help in providing clarification and confidence. I tried using both OAV and a flash formic treatment on hives with Apivar in last fall and it seemed to worked well but I know that Amitraz breaks down in acidic environments so I am not super keen on using it unless I'm desperate. I have been looking for more information on the effects of that but haven't been able to find anything.

[@rubenk9628]

The by product of amitraz kills mites just as well if not better so maybe acidic environments is the key.

[@tonyfox5422]

I realise that every beekeeper and scientist will say i am wrong but i look at my bees, i check the entrance for guard bees, i look at my bees like i look at my labradors nose, and that tells me all well. That glossy shine says no stress, those guard bees tell me the regimental structure is strong and intact. Of course, thats rediculous, …. But is it.

[@glennsnaturalhoney4571]

I tried apilifevar once. The bees all absconded and were out on the fence. Afraid to try it again. I thought i followed the directions firly close.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Mine are still hanging around , so far ! Time will tell

[@ludgermerkens]

If the bees abscond thats typically a sign, that it was too hot during treatment. Treatment temperature window is between 15°C (59°F) and 30°C (86°F).

[@apisincognito8173]

You're not really making it clear if the apivar strips are actually dropping mites and what combinations you are trying and at what state of the amitraz treatment you are trying these other treatments.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Everything is on my videos. Apivar had been in for a few weeks before I dropped in the thymol treatment.

[@apisincognito8173]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog was the apivar treatment conpleted? Currently facing the same dilemma

[@researcherAmateur]

Grandpa used to say to my father and me, back when flows were easier, more humidity.. take me some of that brood off and I'll clean them with lemonade.

[@solivaguswayfarer]

Ian, is there a reason why you are using a small sample size of bees instead of 300 bees (1/2 cup) or greater, doesn't the margin of error increase with a smaller sample?

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Quick shakes all over . 300 is better but 100 gives me a good idea where I’m at , even with a Margo of error, If I come across something unusual, I’ll up the shake numbers and start to also pool.

[@Recantodasabelhas-neves]

Olá bom dia esse comportamento é para ver se tem a rua nos seus enxame 🐝🐝🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@aaronparis4714]

Lol you should no mites with all the shit you have used 😅