Neils
22-03-2013, 01:55 AM
I thought it might be useful to start a thread about Integrated Pest Management Schemes (IPM) generally.
To paraphrase, This is my IPM, there are many like it; but this one is mine.
I use single brood 14x12 hives with open mesh floors.
I have always used a thymol treatment after the honey harvest. I used to use Apiguard, I now use a "home brew" thymol treatment for economic reasons. buying 5 pack trays is too expensive, buying a bucket of the stuff is far more than I need.
Each of my hives has two, horizontally wired, foundationless frames for the purpose of raising drone brood.
I treat with Oxalic Acid in winter and any swarm is treated 24 hours after being hived with the same. I used to view this as an optional treatment, but I'm increasingly seeing a need to use it based on beekeepers around me.
At the first cycle of drone brood I uncap a few hundred of the first third laid to gain a count of varroa. I try to uncap at "purple eye stage" which I believe should be from 19 days onwards. if more than 10% of the sample contains varroa I remove the entire sealed comb and resample the second comb when it reaches 19 days. There is a balance element to this and I still wonder whether this 'encourages' varroa that breeds in worker comb but I'm more concerned with removing varroa while having enough drones.
for the rest of the season, while i might unfork a patch of drone, i mostly rely on watching the bees themselves. I'm looking for phoretic mites and, more likely, signs of deformed wing virus.
Pyrethroid treatments are considered ineffective round these parts. Much as I hate the idea of putting that **** in my hives I reserve the right to use it as an emergency treatment on a hive that I feel that, despite my best efforts, is in danger of collapse. The caveats to using them is that they will not be used in the same apiary within 3 years and the combs of the hive in question will be replaced at the earliest opportunity and not returned to the 'foundation pool' of wax.
I do keep my trays in and watch the mite drop because I feel that having the trays in tells you a lot about what's going on in the hive, just not necessarily about varroa, but i record it anyway.
All my hives are in out apiaries so im constrained by having a full time job.
To paraphrase, This is my IPM, there are many like it; but this one is mine.
I use single brood 14x12 hives with open mesh floors.
I have always used a thymol treatment after the honey harvest. I used to use Apiguard, I now use a "home brew" thymol treatment for economic reasons. buying 5 pack trays is too expensive, buying a bucket of the stuff is far more than I need.
Each of my hives has two, horizontally wired, foundationless frames for the purpose of raising drone brood.
I treat with Oxalic Acid in winter and any swarm is treated 24 hours after being hived with the same. I used to view this as an optional treatment, but I'm increasingly seeing a need to use it based on beekeepers around me.
At the first cycle of drone brood I uncap a few hundred of the first third laid to gain a count of varroa. I try to uncap at "purple eye stage" which I believe should be from 19 days onwards. if more than 10% of the sample contains varroa I remove the entire sealed comb and resample the second comb when it reaches 19 days. There is a balance element to this and I still wonder whether this 'encourages' varroa that breeds in worker comb but I'm more concerned with removing varroa while having enough drones.
for the rest of the season, while i might unfork a patch of drone, i mostly rely on watching the bees themselves. I'm looking for phoretic mites and, more likely, signs of deformed wing virus.
Pyrethroid treatments are considered ineffective round these parts. Much as I hate the idea of putting that **** in my hives I reserve the right to use it as an emergency treatment on a hive that I feel that, despite my best efforts, is in danger of collapse. The caveats to using them is that they will not be used in the same apiary within 3 years and the combs of the hive in question will be replaced at the earliest opportunity and not returned to the 'foundation pool' of wax.
I do keep my trays in and watch the mite drop because I feel that having the trays in tells you a lot about what's going on in the hive, just not necessarily about varroa, but i record it anyway.
All my hives are in out apiaries so im constrained by having a full time job.