How does Apilife var work?

How it works: The vapours from the essential oils spread around the hive and suffocating the mites which then fall off the bees. There has not been any recorded resistance to resistance to Apilife Var. Apilife Var is completely safe for the beekeeper, the bees and the beehive.

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How do I use Apivar?

Hang each strip between 2 comb frames in the brood area or the bee cluster, with a minimum distance of 2 frames between strips. Suspend Apivar strips in the brood chamber so bees can walk on both sides of the strips. Leave strips in the hive for a minimum of 42 days, and then remove. DO NOT re-use the strips.

How do you use formic pro?

Place 2 strips on top of the bottom brood box for 14 full days. Use the HALF DOSE treatment option to get a KNOCK DOWN of Varroa. Suitable for weaker colonies or fragile queens. Use 1 strip for 10 full days then 1 more strip for 10 full days, with no break in between.

What is ApiLife VAR?

ApiLife Var is a very popular and effective treatment for tackling the Varrora pest in your beehive. ApiLife Var contains essential oils (Thymol, Eucalyptus Oil, Menthol and Camphor) and is the organic solution for treatment against Varroasis in bees (Varroa Destructor) and tracheal mite.

What is the best treatment for varroa mites?

Treatment of Varroa Mites

Apistan Strips. Active Ingredient: Fluvalinate. Recommended Dosage: One strip for every five frames.
Apiguard. Active Ingredient: Thymol. Recommended Dosage: Two treatments of one foil pack every two weeks.
Mite Away Quick Strips. Active Ingredient: Formic acid.

Does Apivar smell?

It also contains eucalyptol, menthol, and camphor. It comes in the form of a soaked biscuit and is considered a “soft” chemical treatment. One of the main concerns is the strong thymol odor, which tends to linger.

When should Apivar be installed?

Apivar strips work best in the early Spring (2 months before the start of the honey season) and the Fall. Since you have to take the honey supers off of the hive, using the strips in the Fall can be difficult.

Where do you place Apivar?

Since Apivar works by contact, strips should be placed in an area where there is peak bee activity and where the Varroa are breeding. The autumn treatment and spring treatment are used for different reasons. The intention of the spring treatment is to eradicate any mite population before the honey season.

How long do you leave Formic Pro on?

More brood mortality may be observed in colonies with high virus loads. Can I reduce the dose? In the USA, Formic Pro is registered with 2 treatment options, Option One: 14-day treatment and Option Two: 20-day treatment.

Can I use Formic Pro during honey flow?

Formic Pro has an 83-97% efficacy and kills mites under the cap. Treat during the Honey Flow. Formic Pro leaves no residues in wax or honey.

What is the safest varroa mite treatment?

Potassium salts of hops beta acids are derived from the hops plant and it is safe for use any time of the year, even during the honey flow. However, it is more effective as a mite control treatment when there is less brood because it does not go through the cell cappings.

What month do you treat Varroa mites?

As an example, if beekeepers want to control Varroa mites in their colonies by 31 August when the first Winter bees are emerging as adults in the prairie provinces, then miticide treatments should be applied before 17 August; that is the date when worker larvae are being sealed into their cells that will emerge as …

What happens if you leave Apivar in too long?

If you leave the strips in too long every time you treat, over and over again, the low level exposure might result in mites that are resistant to that miticide.

Does Apivar contaminate honey?

Residue studies have demonstrated that when Apivar is used per the label instructions, no residues of Apivar’s active ingredient amitraz were detected within comb or honey samples, and the treatment has no negative effects on honey bees.

Can you feed bees while treating with Apivar?

Can I treat a hive with Apivar when feeding my bees? Yes, Apivar does not interfere with feeding in any way (unlike thymol-based products). In fact, feeding increases activity in the colony and therefore increases the spread of active ingredient throughout the hive.

Can you eat honey with Apivar?

The only catch is that you shouldn’t use it if it’s still above 80F in the daytime and you still cannot consume the honey or beeswax that was on the hive during the treatment. If it’s Fall and you need to treat, but don’t want to remove honey supers, the best way to get rid of mites is with oxalic acid.

Can I feed my bees while treating with Formic Pro?

Can I feed during treatment? No, feeding of any type that comes in contact with the hive (frame, hive-top feeder) is NOT recommended during treatment. Barrel feeding is acceptable. For optimal success with Formic Pro, ensure your bees are well nourished before treatment.

Can you leave honey supers on with Formic Pro?

Formic Pro is a polysaccharide gel strip treatment containing formic acid. There are two main benefits to using Formic Pro over other treatments: it is the only treatment that penetrates the cappings of brood cells to kill the mites reproducing within, and it can be used with honey supers on the hive.

Is it too late to treat for Varroa mites?

If you’re wondering if you still can, the answer is yes! Although late summer treatment is the best for protecting your winter bees, a delayed treatment is better than no treatment. Whenever you need to treat for varroa, you have to consider which treatment is the best for the time of year and the status of your hive.