Going to try Apiguard

DayValleyDahlias · August 29, 2007, 01:45:58 PM

Just ordered Apiguard from Dadant, should be here in a day...I did not wait 72 hours to check for mites, checked in 60 hours...too many mites...disgusting! We will try powdered sugar AND Apiguard...then let Darwin take over...

The formic acid thing scares me a bit, as it looks a bit daunting to apply??

Guess I could also see of Mite-Away can be sold in California?

Thanks all...

randydrivesabus · August 29, 2007, 02:03:13 PM

what were your counts?

Kathyp · August 29, 2007, 02:11:16 PM

i have used the apiguard and been happy with it. the bees don't even seem to notice it except to track through it. i did have 3 or 4 dead in the tin, but i think they got stuck. from what i hear, it has fewer problems than formic acid and some other treatments.

let us know how it works for you. i found tons of dead mites the day after i put the apiguard in the hive. that was last year. i have not treated this year, but my mite counts seem low so far. maybe because two of my hives went queenless for a bit?? i wondered if no brood helped break the mite cycle.

DayValleyDahlias · August 29, 2007, 03:17:10 PM

My count was TNTC ( too numerous to count )...I would estimate 150+/- probably +... made my stomach turn, very discouraging...there are still many bees in the hive,and the flow is still on here...I went ahead and ordered a box if Mite-Away II as well...ugh...scarey business...there is no sign of bee illness..the have is strong ,but so are the freaken mites...

Kathyp · August 29, 2007, 03:56:06 PM

do you plan on using both? are you going to do PS until you can treat with other?

DayValleyDahlias · August 29, 2007, 03:59:24 PM

I am going to do the PS today...then apply either Apiguard or Mite-Away II...hope it is okay to do the PS and one of theother treatments...or is that too much assalt on the bees?

KONASDAD · August 29, 2007, 04:00:35 PM

In this months ABJ is an article predominately about thymol(apiguard). Discusses some of the pros and cons. Some highlites are mite drop is delayed by about 24hrs so count after 48hrs, and some brood death/loss. I applied apiguard last week and I have noticed some brood being removed in fair numbers this week in the AM. Mites are seemingly gone and this is day 6. I am a little conscerned by the numbers of dead brood I see, and therefore is probably much greater.May have been increased by temps approaching the high end of the application range however. I always enjoy Randy Olivers articles in ABJ. Becoming my favorite writer in the publication. Sometimes writes for BC as well.

Kathyp · August 29, 2007, 04:13:00 PM

QuoteI am going to do the PS today...then apply either Apiguard or Mite-Away II

i don't think the PS is particularly disruptive. just make sure you have taken all your honey before you treat with the one of the others. any reason you ordered both?

konasdad, i did not notice brood loss, but treated a little later last year. i did have some brood pulled later in september, but the nites had gotten cold, so i assumed it was chill brood.

KONASDAD · August 29, 2007, 04:36:00 PM

[konasdad, i did not notice brood loss, but treated a little later last year. i did have some brood pulled later in september, but the nites had gotten cold, so i assumed it was chill brood.
[/quote]

I thought the same. After reading the article I got down on my hands and knees and looked for the signs indicated in the article on my sticky board. I noticed lots of brood bee parts on the board. Next AM, I got out and spent about an hour abserving closely and saw lots of brood being removed. As a side note, I have tweo types of bees w/ hygenic behaviour. My new Purvis bees remove dead bees hundreds of feet from the hive. Usually two bees will carry the brood beyond my sight abilities. My Minn hygenics push them off the edge of the landing board and not an inch farther. The purvis also remove dead brood after an inspection w/in minutes. Usually before I leave I see drone brood from between boxes being removed. Just cooool stuff I noticed this week observing my bees as I applied apiguard.

DayValleyDahlias · August 29, 2007, 05:12:53 PM

Kathy, I ordered both because I am undecided as which to use...I just rec'd the ABJ and the bit on Apiguard scared me...criminy sakes...

I think I am going to stick with PS for now...see how the counts go, and rethink the Apiguard & MiteAway...I just don't want the bees to croak from mites OR my treatment!

annette · August 29, 2007, 05:29:02 PM

I am going powdered sugar all the way and some drone removal here and there. I will keep you all posted on if this method works out.

I have gotten my counts way down dusting with the PS. Also have been changing out my plastic frames for starter strips and will let the bees make whatever size comb they need for now on. Hopefully regress them to small cell sometime.

This problem has made beekeeping so hard for everyone not knowing which way to go with all this.

Good Luck to you all.

Annette

DayValleyDahlias · August 29, 2007, 08:12:57 PM

I suppose I will go along with "Primum non nocere" First do no harm...PS first...I will have an arsenal of Apigard and MiteAway II should I have to go further...this is disheartening...I guess I will spend the entire Winter reading about regression...I don't know why I feel as though it is too "hard" to do...

beeginner · August 30, 2007, 02:39:38 AM

BAD thing about Apiguard its bad for the queens!!! . Theres a lady up the road and she had Apiguard and she told me to put it in the hives and I said its not good for the queens. Well I did and 2 days into it the queens was dead on all 3 hives. And there was nothing wrong with the hive. My friend is a inspecter came out to look at them the day befor.

Cindi · August 30, 2007, 03:10:37 AM

Forum friends, I am hearing some really scarey stuff. So many mites, you are all recounting. Read some of Finsky's posts, please. read them. Go into his posts, and read in-depth. I think we all need to know, Is the sugar shaking method working for you? I have not gone into my hives to perform mite counts, but I am slightly on the worried side too, anticipating what I will and will not see.

Michael, and all the small cell advocates. How are your mites this year? Wonderful day, greatest of our life. Cindi

DayValleyDahlias · August 30, 2007, 03:24:07 AM

Forgive me...but IF I decide to use the formic acid...it goes a top the brood box...right now I have one brood box and one super atop it...SO...I will put the pad atop the brood chamber frames, but may I place the super atop the brood chamber, and thusly atop the formic acid pad???

BeeHopper · August 30, 2007, 07:24:20 AM

I will be using Apiguard this week. I had excellent results last year, mites dropped like a bomb on the first application, utilized a 2nd one, but not the 3rd. Mite count was very low on the 2nd ( less than 12 on the whole monitoring tray. :-D

DayValleyDahlias · August 30, 2007, 10:38:15 AM

BeeHopper,I am so worried about brood death...did you nitce an increase?

BeeHopper · August 30, 2007, 06:23:48 PM

Quote from: DayValleyDahlias on August 30, 2007, 10:38:15 AM
BeeHopper,I am so worried about brood death...did you nitce an increase?

I did not notice dead brood discarded outside the hive nor on the monitoring tray last year. I will monitor the results this year a little more closely. Last year I had Buckfast bees, this year it is the Italians. I will tolerate some brood loss to kill off the mites.

DayValleyDahlias · August 30, 2007, 06:50:44 PM

Here is another question for those of you who use Apiguard...were you down to just brrod boxes...I have 1 deep brood with 1 deep super above which I was going to leave on for Winter...can I put the Apigurd on top of the brood frames and add a spacer between the 2 boxes? ??

pdmattox · August 30, 2007, 06:54:57 PM

I also have had great results with apigaurd. one thing I did learn is to not put the full dose on a weak or small colony. just reduce the dosage and all was fine. I would do away with the spacer unless there is not enough room between the lid and the top of the frames. Most of the time I am down to just a single box, but if you have 2 then just put the apigaurd on top of that box. I think it will work the same.