Apiguard varroa gel (5 hives)

01 · HOW IT WORKS

Vapour first, contact second

Thymol is an acaricide and reaches the mite two ways: it is reckoned that two thirds by inhalation and one third by contact through the bees themselves, in a proportion that shifts with temperature and with the activity of the colony. From that comes the answer to what gets asked most: it is best not to put the crown board over the tray, so the vapour circulates and the bees can reach the gel, and to keep the floor closed, because an open mesh floor takes away the thymol that should be staying inside.

02 · THE SCHEDULE

Two trays, two weeks apart

The treatment is two applications of 50 g per colony two weeks apart, with a maximum of two treatments a year. The first tray is taken out after two weeks and the second put in, and that one is left until it is empty. Sticking to the dose is not a formality: going over 50 g can cause agitation, absconding or higher mortality, and then the excess has to be removed.

03 · HOW IT GOES IN

Open, central, and half a centimetre clear

Peel back the metal foil leaving one corner attached to the tray, and set the tray open in a central position on top of the frames, gel facing up. The condition that decides the outcome is the gap: there must be at least 0.5 cm clear between the top of the tray and the hive roof. That is why we do not recommend it in Layens hives, where there is no such space above the frames.

04 · THE TEMPERATURE WINDOW

Between 15 and 40 °C, and the whole apiary at once

It is not used if the forecast daily maximum falls below 15 °C, if the activity of the colony is very low, or if it goes above 40 °C. Where it pays best is at the end of summer, after the harvest, when fewer generations of bees are present; in spring only for heavy infestations and with temperatures already above 15 °C. Group weak colonies beforehand and treat every hive in the apiary at the same time, or the untreated ones reinfest the treated.

05 · WHAT TO WATCH

The normal, the rare and what must be measured

Bees removing or cleaning the gel is normal. As rare events the datasheet describes mild agitation, a transient reduction of young brood in high heat and, in hygienic strains, the removal of unsealed brood next to the tray: if you see that last one, take the product out. Handle it with waterproof gloves, without inhaling and avoiding skin and eyes. And measure: efficacy varies between colonies, so this is one piece of an integrated management programme and mite drop has to be monitored, including the following winter.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Thymol is one of the substances the EU organic regulation (2018/848) allows against varroa. It is a medicine not subject to veterinary prescription and we dispense it as a retail establishment for veterinary medicines, no. V-48-VC. Honey withdrawal period: zero days — but it is not used during a flow and is removed when the supers go on.