The Apiarist

• Did the treatment work?

  When, why and how to take pre- and post-treatment mite counts, and what to do with the numbers. Is it routinely needed, and when should you definitely do it? And if you thought that was confusing, when do miticides work but not work?

• Odds and ends

  A variety of late-season queen-related topics; finding, missing, marking, judging, and clipping them … together with discussions of some DIY 'mods' that make all these things easier. All that, plus the sad news that the season is pretty-much over 😞.

• Just read the instructions

  Licensed miticides, used correctly, are very effective at controlling mite infestations which would otherwise kill the colony. However, the manufacturer’s instructions for miticide use are often poorly worded, confusing or contradictory. Could they be improved?

• Apiguard (Apilife Var & Thymovar) advice

  Thymol-containing miticides offer many advantages (no mite resistance or wax-soluble residues) but must be used properly to be effective. Temperatures are critical, and high brood levels may negatively influence treatment efficacy. If you're going to use them, understand their limitations.

• Are slow-release oxalic acid strips the solution?

  Slow-release oxalic acid (OA) strips are for use on colonies rearing brood, in contrast to one-shot trickled or vaporised OA. Are they an effective solution for winter treatment when predicting broodlessness can be tricky, and when climate change is making it increasingly rare?