BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DISEASE & PEST CONTROL

ThymoVar ?

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TheHoneyPump:
My main supplier is out of ApiVar and will not have any until October, too late for my bees. They do have ThymoVar.  I am not familiar with this product, nor are my colleagues around here.  It is also 30% more expensive.  I tried some google searches and not much in terms of first hand experience or comments/reviews are revealed.  Plenty of sales pitches though.  I am bouncing between some home brew patties and feed concoctions or the Thymo product.

I am looking for comments from folks who have actual use and experience with ThymoVar.

What say you?

BeeMaster2:
That is the first that I have heard of it.
Jim

TheHoneyPump:
I went for it as a trial on a few hives.  Pricey.
Simple to apply.  I have to admit, I do kind of like the smell!  Reminds me of a simmering tenderloin every thyme I walk by a hive when the sun is beating down on it. ;)

I have noticed the effect that mid afternoon "playtime", orientation flights of young bees, seems to be suddenly MUCH more active.  Not for sure if that is effect of the Thymol or if is just the point in the brood/bee cycle that the colonies are in.  By my brood notebook and the calendar, they are going through a population burst of new bees at the moment as well.

I will do mite washes in 10 days to see what is what.

blackforest beekeeper:
Hey HoneyPump,

I have some (little) experience with ThymoVar resp. ApiLifeVar, which is more or less the same. For my region, it sucks. Maybe when You have very little mites and weather is dry and warm and You keep on putting these stripes on for weeks on end. Might get by.
For me, it seems a waste of time. Also, the hives STILL smell of this stuff next spring.
I tried it on some nucs last year. The rest didn`t have much mites, so I decided for these stripes to keep mite count low on the ones with a little more. Effect was negligable.

I use formic acid and oxcalic acid.

TheHoneyPump:
Thanks BFB.  That experience may be why this product is basically an unknown or unspoken of around here. 
Sure would be nice to hear from more people on this. Perhaps the beekeepers do not want to admit to spending good money on something with mediocre results?  I will know some results here at the next break in good weather and personal time aligns to go do some alcohol wash mite counts.  Until then, I just walk by and be thinking dinner must be almost ready.

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