BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DISEASE & PEST CONTROL
Varroa checks
rast:
I am currently treating with OAV.
Bill Murray:
First the disclaimer what I am saying is based on research I have done, the trials and tribulations I have fought through and basically what I found works for me. And I am talking Fl. I cant speak for anywhere else.
I got out of beekeeping for a while partly due to varroa. I was treatment free ( for my own reasons) and basically didn?t understand the mite. When OA came out I looked at it like a silver bullet. I used it for 2 years with varying effects, I thought. Year 3 showed me I needed to change course. I still use it but not as a standalone treatment. Here is why. First you have to look at how many capped brood are in the hive. If you are running double deeps and 50% percent of your frames are capped brood which should start in Feb/Mar here in fl through Sept./Oct. dependent on feed/pollen where your bees are at. After that it drops but never really enough anymore.
Anyway follow with me. The reason the brood break is so vital to what your trying to accomplish.
Treatment day 1 then wait till day 7 retreat. The problem is Varroa exiting their capped cells between days 2 and 6. This means you have 5 days of Varroa leaving their cells and more than likely will find another cell about to be capped. So those Varroa can hide across multiple applications of OA done every seven days in capped cells and you don?t even know they are there. Im not saying OA won?t have a positive effect on getting your mite load under control because you just killed 10-20 percent of the mites in your hive, but you only killed the ones in the phoretic stage. If you had a brood break meaning little to no capped brood, and all mites in phoretic stage the you would get 90% with the bees taking care of the rest do 1- 2 follow up treatments (dependant on mite drop) and be done. If you miss one treatment with capped brood, you can be back to almost square 1. Miss 2 well do the math. It can also be over used and bad for your bees. Here is good reading from Penn State.
https://extension.psu.edu/methods-to-control-varroa-mites-an-integrated-pest-management-approach
With all that being said I always do post treatment spot checks. Never do pre-checks anymore. I just assume they are there cause they are and stick with the treatment schedule I found works for me.
rast:
That is why I use a 3 day treatment cycle, 7 times. The OA "dust" supposedly remains viable for 3 days on the comb. No different than leaving Tactic or Amitraz in there for a month and a half. I also use about 2 grams per deep box.
What I do from doing the math like Bill did, not what I am telling you to do.
Bill Murray:
please elaborate on the OA dust. I am always open to trying a new strategy.
Ben Framed:
--- Quote ---That is why I use a 3 day treatment cycle, 7 times.
--- End quote ---
I am of the understanding a three day treatment cycle is good for for optimum results as well, with OAV.
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