Too Late for OA?

[Neils]

I think I might have missed the window for applying OA. I went up today when I finally had some time to do it and make sure they were OK for fondant. Would be safe to say that they weren't anywhere near being in a cluster and were not happy to see me, first sting of 2012! I nearly didn't bother with a bee suit but I'm glad common sense prevailed.

Still they're nicely topped up with fondant and I might rethink bailey changing the couple of hives that need new frames to shook swarming them and dosing with OA then perhaps.

[gavin]

I'd do it anyway. It will probably work less effectively than it should, but you will still relieve them of much of their load of mites.

[Neils]

I might well do, but it means getting the smoker out. I might yet wait it out, the two nucs could take a spring thymol treatment, the colony I was going to bailey change could be shook swarmed and OA treated at that point which leaves one colony to figure out what to do with. inevitably on the first really cold day, I was busy doing something else when I might have been able to get away without having to blow smoke at them.