# When is your first mite treatment of the year?



## kateowp (Aug 11, 2014)

This is the first year I have had a hive make it to January so I am not sure about how to manage a hive in the early spring. Yesterday I was surprised to actually see mites on a few of my live bees. Assuming they make it to spring, how early should I start considering mite treatment? What kind of treatment is best for spring?


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

My first mite treatment of the year this year in Denver, Colorado, was an OAV application on January 9th. 

Not to freak you out, but if you can see mites on your bees, you have a serious mite problem right now.


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## bushpilot (May 14, 2017)

Treat now, don't wait. If you "see mites on a few of [your] live bees," it may be too late already.


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

We did a treatment as soon as the temperature was above 40f for a day. OAV last winter, this winter our last OAV treatment was mid December, I am watching for any mite drop so far the drop boards are clean.


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## kateowp (Aug 11, 2014)

Sounds like you all do OAV. I see that uses a vaporizer. Any suggestions for someone who is not handy and not flush with cash right now?


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Due to low daytime temps in the winter, OAV is about your only option for now. If you can’t make or buy an OAV device, then you should borrow one from a friend or your bee club. Or, Advertise on Craigslist to pay someone to come OAV your hives if you can’t borrow something.


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## kateowp (Aug 11, 2014)

Did you make your vaporizer? If not, which one do you have?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

OA dribble is used here in northern NY in cold weather (30F day time highs). It is can be done in pretty cold weather, though warmer would be better. It's a one shot treatment if your bees are not brooding yet, though they will be soon. It takes almost no equipment to do (a 50cc irrigation syringe) and OA itself is cheap. It is harder on bees than OAV, but has the advantage of being cheap and easy. I would not do a series, though, so hitting when they are broodless would be the best bet. You have to open up the hive and expose the bees, and squirt a measured amount of the solution over each seam of the bees in their cluster.

I agree, if you are seeing mites on your live bees you already have a big problem.

Act immediately because your colony is in great danger.

Although I don't use it myself, (I prefer organic acids) check out Apivar strips. Up here Apivar is used in late winter in hives that need very early treatment. Late winter (March) up here is probably not much different from late January in Richmond. Call your bee supplier for advice or check with your local club.

Even more important, what are your monitoring and mite treatment plans going forward? Without both, you will just keep on having dead-outs. 

Nancy


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

kateowp said:


> Did you make your vaporizer? If not, which one do you have?


My first one was the VarroCleaner from Oxavap and I currently have the Provap 100 (not a wand). For a beginner the VarroCleaner was great, worked fast and was reasonably priced. I would recommend it. Saving your first hive from varroa death will pay for it. Do not make your own unless you are pretty good with electronics or working with metals. At this point in time, if you wish to avoid buying it quickly research doing the oxalic acid drip. It works very well this time of year with a +90% varroa kill and will cost less than $10 to do. You will need to buy a small container of oxalic acid for about $6 which will last for years and make some sugar syrup. The recipe and instructions can be found on this forum or at the scientific beekeeping website.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

> Due to low daytime temps in the winter, OAV is about your only option for now


dissagree, in use OAD has a lower effective application temp then OAV. 
It is spread by bee to bee contact so you can split the boxs apart to gain access to the cluster and aply in temps that the cluster would be too tight for effective OAV application.... also given it was in the 70s today in the OP's location its likly warm euff for what ever they want to try.

+1 on going with OAD, NOW!!!! 

on to spring, Assuming I got good control with a late fall OAD my 1st step on mite management is often a split , followed by drone brood culling and then montering the mite leves. 
however I get colder so i have a few mounths with out brood and a brood break in july caused by a dearth... you climate is very diffrent


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

msl said:


> dissagree, in use OAD has a lower effective application temp then OAV.
> It is spread by bee to bee contact so you can split the boxs apart to gain access to the cluster and aply in temps that the cluster would be too tight for effective OAV application....


Have you seen Ian’s cold weather application using the ProVap? Certainly looked like it penetrated...


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

I haven't seen one where he gave a out side temp, or showed cluster penetration threw the shell bees, do you have a link? 

The Oxyvap web site says the minimum temperature is 37 F, in line with most of the studys suggestions, How much lower can you effectively treat with your product, and how does it impact the treatments efficacy?


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

msl said:


> I haven't seen one where he gave a out side temp, or showed cluster penetration threw the shell bees, do you have a link?
> 
> The Oxyvap web site says the minimum temperature is 37 F, in line with most of the studys suggestions, How much lower can you effectively treat with your product, and how does it impact the treatments efficacy?


Me either, I'll PM Ian an ask what the temp was when he vapped. As to temp, I've always vapped around 37 with great results, As to efficacy, again I'll email Ian as to what he found at what temp. But I don't think you can or should say that OAV can't penetrate the cluster at low temps without verifying that that's true.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

if its not a pentrate the cluster issue, please tell me the reason behind Oxavap's 37f minum temp. I adjust my views as the data I have access to changes 

Dr Medhat Nasr 's vaporizer was deginged specifically to use warm forsed air to open the cluster and curicalte the OA in colder temps

The 37f temp is often given as the cut off for OAV, saying below that the cluster is too tight for good pentration of the cluster. 

In the hive OAV is a dust not a vapor, and it is spread by convection, and the bees moveing it threw the hive.
In a tight cluster the shell bees are not beating there wings and are packed tight to prevent the exchange of warm/cold air it stands to reason the dust would not get in side as well as if the bees were more spread out. Further more in a tight custer there are many bees in the comb cells so they get minimal exposer if it did get good distrubtion in the cluster 
here is what happens in cool weather with no bees to move it around 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ22fhs27oo

OAV is a great peace of kit, but its not a magic wand, it does have limits. There are times were other options are better.. 
You can OAD below freezing, and OAD kills up to 600+% more mites brood on. 
https://www.apimondia.com/congresse...ctor The Best Way - Alessandra Giacomelli.pdf

Coming back around to the topic at hand, the OP said she didn't have the $$ for a $100 vaporizer( much less the chunk of change for the 110, and given she has one hive bringing the 110 in to the conversation is a bit silly.) and needed a different option
Shin responded that do to the temps OAV was her only option, I was just correcting that eroinius statement.. it varies from source to source but the given min temp for OAD is usually around 30f and OAV 37f . 

Now If I am wrong on the cluster part as you sujest and the min temp is for a different reason, so be it as I opened with please share the reason your product is not recommended for use below 37f


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## Hive5ive (Nov 21, 2015)

I just bought a vaporizer from Amazon. It was $32.00. it has good reviews but I haven't used it yet. It's made in Russia.
If it works well I'll probably carry them in the store


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## Virgil (Jan 14, 2018)

Treat when they need it, you're the only one that can be the judge of that.


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## Tenpin (Apr 27, 2016)

Treated Jan 21st. OAV.


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Did my first treatment (OAV) on Monday @ about 40ºF with a Provap......what a great tool it is.. :applause:


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## Biermann (May 31, 2015)

Question: My hives are solidly insulated at this time and I will not remove the insulation for 2-3 month just to treat with OAV. I can make a hole in the insulation on the telescopic lid, why not open the top inspection hole and insert the OAV from the top? Should work as good as from the bottom or better.

Cheers, Joerg


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

It should work fine, Joerg. I have quarter inch hole drilled in my hive's lower brood box with a dowel plug which is easily removed for access. Without hurrying I, single-handed, treated 18 hives in less than 30 minutes. :thumbsup:


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Biermann said:


> Question: My hives are solidly insulated at this time and I will not remove the insulation for 2-3 month just to treat with OAV. I can make a hole in the insulation on the telescopic lid, why not open the top inspection hole and insert the OAV from the top? Should work as good as from the bottom or better.


You must have an entrance open somewhere, just vaporize thru the entrance.


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## psm1212 (Feb 9, 2016)

I already have drone brood in my hives so I have been pulling them and have not found a single mite. I am going to split (probably first week of March), putting Queen with a single frame of open brood in one hive, and all capped and remaining open brood in the other to raise a new queen. I am going to treat the QR hive on the same day I split and the new hive 21 days after the split with a single OAV to each.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

msl said:


> I haven't seen one where he gave a out side temp, or showed cluster penetration threw the shell bees, do you have a link?


Ian told me the outside temperatures were 5-10f. From what he could see there was good penetration of the cluster. As to efficacy, he'll check and report back in the Spring.
The ProVap 110 readily forces the OA vapors into the hive. I haven't seen Dr Medhat Nasr 's vaporizer, but I don't think it forces OA into the hive any better than the ProVap.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

are you sure he said F and not C?
5-10 F daytime temps I would think he would have the bees in the shed all ready

I have a thought... please link the video


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

msl said:


> I have a thought... please link the video


I'm not sure that this video is the one taken on the low temperature day, most likely is not because Ian mentions snow and this video shows none.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ypDMwqAKQ

Per Ian.
Typically 5-10 degrees that last week
The last 4 yards it was 0, 
Cracking the lid showed pretty good penetration but can’t be sure.

My treatment window narrowed this fall, 
Snow forced our hand and we sent the gun a week early, and picked hives in the snow

Next spring counts will tell if we had efficacy


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## Groundhwg (Jan 28, 2016)

kateowp said:


> Sounds like you all do OAV. I see that uses a vaporizer. Any suggestions for someone who is not handy and not flush with cash right now?


OAV or OAD is about all you could use at this time. Know about cash flow problems but if you can see mites on your bees you already need to treat. Have to think about how much it is going to cost you to buy or borrow a vaporizer and is that cheaper than replacing your bees.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

OA dribble's cost is mostly the less than $10 you'd pay for the OA itself. Other than that, a 5cc syringe, eye protection and some kind of plastic mixing container for the OA-laced sugar syrup is all you'd need to spring for. 

However, Groundhwg's point above is right on: A really good OAV wand (like a Varrox) costs about the same as buying a nuc to replace a dead out. You'd also need a battery which could be an old one that's not reliable enough for your car, but still can be cranked up with a fresh recharge for a few hives. You also need to spend between $35-50 on a proper respirator with ACID GAS canisters. I'd economize on a cheaper wand before scrimp on the respirator. OAV isn't an inexpensive set-up, though the OA is dirt cheap ever afterwards. You can treat dozens and dozens of colonies for less than $10.

What's expensive - and frustrating - is replacing bees lost to mites which could have been saved with a few pennies of OA and a little timely effort.

You could probably do OA dribble this weekend.

Nancy


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

snl said:


> The ProVap 110 readily forces the OA vapors into the hive.


this is quite true. My Provap “injects” the OAV into the hive with a nice stream of pressure that is vey helpful in distributing the vapor throughout the hive. I’ve never tested for cluster penetration, so I can’t comment on that particular aspect. I can say you will get better distribution with a Provap than with any pan type OAV wand.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

Ooops, double post.


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