Treating for Varroa

[Scott Derrick]

Since the honey flow is on here in the south I assume it is too late to treat for varroa. I am planning on treating with a fogger, FGMO and essential oils (White Thyme). I know FB Man uses this method. When is the best time to treat. I'm not actually sure if i have them or not because I haven't done a drop count but I assume that almost all bees get varroa and precautions should be taken.

Can anyone tell me when the best time to treat with the fogger would be since the flow is on?

TIA

[JP]

It seems like early morning would be a good time, before they take flight.


...JP

[HAB]

It seems like early morning would be a good time, before they take flight.


...JP

JP
How effective would it be to Fog at sundown?

[JP]

It seems like early morning would be a good time, before they take flight.


...JP

JP
How effective would it be to Fog at sundown?

Probably just as effective. Bees in better spirits in am though, usually.


...JP

[Scott Derrick]

It seems like early morning would be a good time, before they take flight.


...JP

I'm not necessarily talking about actual time of day but rather season. Is it OK to treat for varroa during the flow? I assume that the white thyme and FGMO would be okay but I wanted to get some feedback.

[JP]

It seems like early morning would be a good time, before they take flight.


...JP

I'm not necessarily talking about actual time of day but rather season. Is it OK to treat for varroa during the flow? I assume that the white thyme and FGMO would be okay but I wanted to get some feedback.

I was implying that time of day is more likely important than what season, as from my understanding it can be done in any season, now is a good time, and before they hunker down is a good time before winter. You can do it every few weeks if you like,
it doesn't hurt the bees.


...JP

[jimmyo]

You might do a mite count first.  If it is low don't mess with it.  if it is high treat when the supers are off. The screened bottom board does fine for us. It works all the time.
Jim 

[Cindi]

Scott, I use vapourizing (fogging) for my bees, excellent, high levels of mite death that continue on for quite some time.  I know, I kept track of mite counts last fall constantly, for about a month, still mite death showing on the sticky boards at that last count, then I gave up, as winter was here.  I know that it works for a prolonged period of time.  I vapourized again about a month ago.  I need to do it again.  I saw a mite on a bee when working the colonies recently.  I killed that bee.  Not that it helped, but it might have prevented 5 mites from emerging from a cell, hee, hee.

The best time to do any kind of fogging/vapourizing is when most of the bees are home.  That would be the morning I would say.  Not night time, for some reason I feel it would be more effective during the daytime, I don't know why I feel this but I do.   It is for surely that all the bees would be home before they begin to forage, evening, well, I like lots of daylight to see what I am doing.

When I vapourize, I close off the bottom entrance and the top entrance while I am fogging.  I use thick foam strips that I stuff in to keep the vapour in for that time.  Then I insert the fogger base that holds the chemical and attach the battery and leave it going for about one minute, this vapourizes within that time.  I leave the hive closed up for about 10 minutes and then open it up by removing these foam strips.  Each time after I have evaporated the chemical, I cool down the basin of the vapourizer with a cool cloth so the chemical does not get too hot before I activate the new set of crystals I had put in the holder.  Yes, vapourizing can be done any time of the year, fast, simple, effective.  Beautiful day, awesome day, Cindi

[Scott Derrick]

Cindi,

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I appreciate it and will follow your lead. Thanks a ton!

[Cindi]

Scott, you are welcome. C.