Broodless & Apiguard

[crazy_bull]

Firstly a rather odd situation has arrisen in one of my apiaries, 24 out of 25 hives have gone completely broodless, the odd one out has just started to lay again. I have had the odd hive do this at the end of the seaon before but not so many all at once. No other apiary has done it. All had queens present so a bit of an odd one, but hey ho i'm sure they'll get back on with it later.

(three weeks ago they were all going great guns, however that was just after the borage was cut, so i guess the sudden drop of forage has put them off lay for a bit)

My question having not used Apiguard accross them all before (used various acids before) i understand the need for 4 weeks (2 x 2 weeks) in a colony with brood in it, but would it be nessesary to do the second dose in a colony that has not sealed brood at all?

my logic says that 1 treatment should do, but i may be missing something.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Just a few days treatment will do,or trickle with oxalic.

 

[crazy_bull]

Just a few days treatment will do,or trickle with oxalic.

Will it be detremental to leave the Apiguard in for longer? I treated them yesterday (bulk pot scooped out onto the cards) but won't easily be able to get back to them before next weekend (120mile round trip), with hindsight the oxalic would have been the best bet, and alot cheaper, however i hadn't taken that kit with me and whilst there i thought i best get something into them.

 

[Hivemaker.]

A week should be fine,not detrimental apart from maybe putting some queens off lay for a bit longer ,more so with older queens.

 

[snoop]

Last year i used Apiguard , exact same thing happened. Give the second treatment after 2 weeks , the queens will come back into lay with the second treatment on .

 

[Sadders]

Mine are doing the same with API life and have before. Its slightly disconcerting but I guess that if the cells are empty the varoa have nowhere to breed so it breaks their life cycle as one of its actions.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Last year i used Apiguard , exact same thing happened. Give the second treatment after 2 weeks , the queens will come back into lay with the second treatment on .

What your bees were completely broodless before starting to treat, so you carried out a 4 to 6 week treatment?

 

[Beanwood]

What your bees were completely broodless before starting to treat, so you carried out a 4 to 6 week treatment?

I have 2 completely broodless colonies, and 2 immediately adjacent with brood - shouldn't I still treat the broodless colonies for 4 full weeks ?

I guess the reason I'm asking the question is that I don't know how varroa is spread, and what the impact would be of not continuing to treat hives adjacent to those being treated.

 

[For want of a better word]

EEJIT question... take it all colonies had viable queens seen.. so for how long has she not been laying?

Had something similar with 3 out of 7 colonies in one apiary with loads of bees.. no brood and ? queen-
going to merge before treatment with apiguaard.... once supers cleared!

 

[Finman]

I have 2 completely broodless colonies, and 2 immediately adjacent with brood - shouldn't I still treat the broodless colonies for 4 full weeks ?

I guess the reason I'm asking the question is that I don't know how varroa is spread, and what the impact would be of not continuing to treat hives adjacent to those being treated.

you get good efficacy in broodless colonies.
If some or tens mites drift to those hives it means not much.

In December you give trikling to all hives and weed off mites which are alive.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I have 2 completely broodless colonies, and 2 immediately adjacent with brood - shouldn't I still treat the broodless colonies for 4 full weeks ?

I guess the reason I'm asking the question is that I don't know how varroa is spread, and what the impact would be of not continuing to treat hives adjacent to those being treated.

Mainly by drones,and they are becoming more and more scarce with many bees not allowing entry of drones from other hives now. Of course they can be spread by drift of workers as well,but not as much. If treating some broodless colonys for a short period then they have no mites to re infest any other colonys with brood,plus these have the treatment on for the specified time,so no mites there to infest the other hives which have had the short treatment....of course other beekeepers in the area may treat at different times with different treatments,plus any feral bees that could re infect your hives,but if you worry about this, then you would need to be treating continuously none stop.

 

[Beanwood]

Mainly by drones,and they are becoming more and more scarce with many bees not allowing entry of drones from other hives now. Of course they can be spread by drift of workers as well,but not as much. If treating some broodless colonys for a short period then they have no mites to re infest any other colonys with brood,plus these have the treatment on for the specified time,so no mites there to infest the other hives which have had the short treatment....of course other beekeepers in the area may treat at different times with different treatments,plus any feral bees that could re infect your hives,but if you worry about this, then you would need to be treating continuously none stop.

Thanks HM. thankfully I had a very low drop count anyway, so I think I'll go for stopping after first treatment on the broodless boxes