# My Hopguard experience



## ky_mike

I thought it would be a good idea to document an experience with Hopguard for other people's future reference. I currently have a pretty bad mite and DWV problem in my 2 hives, details are here http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?269489-Deformed-Wing-Virus

I don't want to spark another treat vs. no treat debate, I just want to share the experience with others so they can choose their path if and when their time comes and I know that Hopguard is still fairly new to the fight against mites.

So here are my hives.










I received my Hopguard in the mail today from Mann Lake. From researching my plan is to put 2 strips per 10 frame deep once a week for 3 weeks. The Hopguard is a liquid with cardboard strips used to soak up the liquid and hang over the frames. From my 15 years of homebrewing I can tell you that it definitely smells just like Hops. I wasn't brave enough to taste it.

So I installed 2 strips in Hive 2 and 4 strips in Hive 1. Hive 1 was my first hive that I started from a package last year. I split the hive this year on April 4th into hive 2 letting them raise their own queen (and trying to break the mite cycle). I also made sticky boards and placed them under each hive which have screened bottom boards. Installing them was simple and the bees did not seem to mind them at all or run away from them.

Just out of curiosity I pulled the sticky board from beneath hive 2, 2.5 hours after I put in the strips and I didn't count, but there were easily 100 mites on the sticky board. Hive #1's sticky board is stapled underneath, so I didn't pull it. I checked the front of the hives before the sun went down and all appeared normal.

I'll keep you up to date as I go.


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## ky_mike

I checked the sticky board on hive 2 today it had been on for about 19 hours










Bigger picture here http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u290/mikenwtf/2012-05-30_10-15-29_441.jpg

That is a lot of mites! I still haven't pulled the sticky board from hive 1 but I could see many more on it. 

the bees still seem normal and there aren't anymore bees than I normally see dead in front of the hives.


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## the doc

i used 5 strips in 3 mediums. Had some serious mite drops and sharp decline in sticky board counts 95-99% decline. I treated in the late fall during a very low brood production time. It seemed very effective. it may not be as effective during the spring time as most mites will remain under cappings. I think a research paper said about 90% are under cappings at any one time. Thanks for posting this


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## ky_mike

48 hour mite count...



















I didn't count every mite, but there were over 100 in the first row, times 9 rows, so my estimate is between 900-1000 mites per sticky board. I am very interested to see what happens when I do the week number 2 treatment. The bees still seem normal.

On a side note I removed my very first honey super from the hive, crushed and strained it and it turned out beautiful!! Now I know why I got into this beekeeping stuff :thumbsup:


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## Katharina

Your mite drop will be less and less with each week. Don't forget to repeat in fall. I love Hopguard. It is easy to use and does not smell horrible. Here is a crazy part I've noticed. The bees seem to like the stuff, because with each week they seem to rush to it more and more. I have to be careful not to crush any bees underneath the strip on top of the frames. Alternate your application sites each time you add strips. Don't forget to clean your bottom board, because there will be a lot of fluff from them dismantling the strips.


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## ky_mike

@Katharina

I read your article on Hopguard before I decided to use it. Excellent information in there.


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## ky_mike

I'm on day number 6 and the mite drop for the past 24 hours was 5. I notice a lot fewer dead/deformed bees on the ground in front of the hives. The bees haven't seemed to miss a beat and I got my first honey harvest ever from hive 1 a few days ago!

I'll be putting the second of three treatments on tomorrow. So far I'm really impressed.


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## squarepeg

very interesting mike, thanks for posting your experience.


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## New Ky Beekeeper

Ky Mike, 
Are the bees beginning to build up? Are they more active?
Can you now notice any difference in your bees from when you started to treat them?

Phil


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## ky_mike

New Ky Beekeeper said:


> Ky Mike,
> Are the bees beginning to build up? Are they more active?
> Can you now notice any difference in your bees from when you started to treat them?
> 
> Phil


The hives are only about 100 yards from my house so I check on them several times a day. The bees haven't seemed effected by the 1st treatment at all other than the massive mite drop the first few days. They are very active and as I said there are a lot fewer dead bees in the front of the hive. I'll be opening the hives again tomorrow to add the second round of strips so I'll keep you updated, but as far as I can tell the hive seems healthier and just as (if not more) active. I'm hoping the single deep hive will be ready for another box tomorrow, because it was close before the first treatment.


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## Katharina

What may not be a very known fact is that most varroa mite treatments also treat tracheal mites at the same time. 
Hopquard is so easy to use and you don't have to worry about temps. That is the major reason why started using it. We are in the mountains and have 30 degree temperature swings during the day. That kind of eliminated many of the stuff out there. Hopguard can even be used in winter. Ok, most of us wont do treatment in winter. 
I wrote an an article about hopquard, which was published in May's Bee Culture magazine. I also have a similar one that I wrote last year on our clubs website at:
http://www.klamathbeekeepers.org/Beekeeping_Articles/Bee_Maladies/progressive_hopguard_treatment_on_honey_bees.html

Forgot to mention that I also put plastic wrap over my sticky board and now use it in our club to show how mites look for all the new beekeepers. Seeing a large image of a mite is one thing, but seeing the real thing is another.


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## JYawn

so does hopguard actually kill the mites or does this just make them fall to the sticky board or to the ground through the screened bottom board? Nice Post!


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## Katharina

They are not moving, but I haven't checked for a heart beat either. LOL They look dead to me.


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## ky_mike

My guess would be it kills the mites, but I don't know for sure. Doing mite drops prior to the hopguard I saw many live mites. After Hopguard none of them were moving.

I put my second treatment on today. Even fewer dead bees. I only saw one bee on the inspection today with DWV, but I only did a frame by frame inspection on hive 2. I also located and marked the queen and she looked very healthy. The brood pattern in hive 2 was not the greatest, but that may have to do with the fact that she is just a few weeks old.

Hive 1 is boiling with bees and I anticipate doing another split from it in the next few days.

I put new sticky boards under each hive and I'll post the 24 hour count tomorrow.


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## squarepeg

would there be any problem using hopguard with solid bottom boards?


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## hummingberd

Why won't Maine allow the use of this product????


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## buzz abbott

came across this while trying to find if hopguard is legal in CA, which it is.

http://www.honeybeesuite.com/hopping-mad-at-hopguard/

Just an fyi for anyone interested.


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## johng

It is always a good idea to do mite counts before and after use of any mite treatment. Make sure your mite counts are low enough after your final treatment. If Rusty would have done that he would have known the counts where still too high and had time to do something else. I agree with him about the directions it could be spelled out better. JMHO


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## ky_mike

I also read that article before deciding to use it, but I had also read many threads/articles about the how to use it the way I am now.

So I did the 24 hour check today after putting treatment 2 in yesterday










Hive 1 had around 500-600 mites. Hive 2 had around 350-400. I was surprised to see this many drop even though it is around half of what the first mite drop count was after the first treatment. I have checked the sticky boards everyday since I started treating and it is apparent that the major killing of the mites occurs during day 1-3. I am still seeing fewer DWV bees. Activity is about the same in hive 1. Hive 2 seems to be getting more active.


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## JRG13

I'm thinking you're happy you treated? Seems like large mite falls, hopefully you can really put the hurt on them when all the treatments are done or even erradicate them for a short time.


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## ky_mike

JRG13 said:


> I'm thinking you're happy you treated? Seems like large mite falls, hopefully you can really put the hurt on them when all the treatments are done or even erradicate them for a short time.


I am definitely happy I chose to treat. I had no idea there were even close to that many mites in the hive. I do plan on doing some things different in the future to keep the mites at bay. I just put a new deep on hive 2 and am trying out foundationless frames. I'm also getting ready to start a nuc from hive 1 with foundationless frames. I do plan on re-queening with a more mite resistant strain and checking the mite drop more often. I am going into my second year keeping bees and I didn't realize the importance of actually putting a sticky board under the hive to check simply because I wasn't seeing mites and I have really good eyesight.

I'm still learning as I go but I want to keep expanding hives and making more healthier bees that can take care of themselves.


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## Oldtimer

Question - if Hopguard strips are put in a strong hive, how long before the bees get rid of it, ie, how long could we expect it to be present in the hive?


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## Katharina

A strong hive gets rid of them in less then 7 days. Mine did get it shredded up in 5 days, but leaves all the fluff on the bottom board. The weakest hive still had parts of one strip left. Funny enough they take less out with each consecutive week. They just get used to it and see it less as something that should not be there. It does not stop or slow them down from doing their bee work, nor does it effect the queen.


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## Keth Comollo

Katharina,
How many seasons have you been using HopGuard? Also, is it the only treatment that you use or do you supplement with something else at times?

Thanks!


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## Katharina

Obviously there are no long term studies out on Hopquard. I have been using it since it is available. I not only use it on my few hives here (4200ft elevation), but also on an organic farm (2500ft elevation) where I maintain hives. At this point Hopguard is my only treatment for mites, because I want to see a true long term picture of how it does. So far so good. I treat twice a year with my progressive method. The instructions from the maker are junk. They only provide a knock down, but not a treatment that has a longer impact. A one time treatment is probably just as good a powder sugaring, perhaps a tiny bit better, but it does not get the capped brood. Treating at weekly intervals for 3 weeks in a row does knock them down for several months. At least in my neck of the woods. I don't want to eliminate different experiences in other regions of the country. I don't know if climate effects the treatments. Here we are in the high desert, with 20% humidity, relatively cold nights, warm days, very little rain, and a long winter going over 6 months. That can have impact on the product, but I have nothing to compare it to. I do supplement sugar syrup with Honey Bee Healthy, but at only 1 tablespoon per 10 pounds of sugar. Each hive needs a total of 2 gallons in spring. They also get pollen patties in spring. They are not to crazed about the pollen patties, so they consume about 1/4 patty per hive. Very small amount. My carnies seem to be very good at stock piling pollen, so they don't need much at all. I'm thinking about giving up on the patties, but feel it doesn't hurt to offer any. We do not have hive beetles here, so I don't worry about them attracting those. In winter they get candy board starting with the first one at the end of January and another one about 6 weeks later. We have very long winters, and they needs that so they don't run out of stores. It also depends on how the winter fares. Another insurance for me. What they don't use I simply cook into water and make a syrup out of it. Nothing gets wasted. Another secondary mite control is the use of screened bottom boards. They are open all season long. They are only closed off for winter, or when treating for mites with Hopguard. Studies say that you loose 10-15% of your mites with screened boards. I can't confirm that, but think that there may be some truth to it.


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## Keth Comollo

Katharina said:


> I have been using it since it is available.


So you have been using it since 2009 and not lost a hive to any mite related issues? That is a very strong testimonial!


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## JRG13

I may pick some up for a fall treatment. I noticed something interesting today watching my hive.... Had one bee doing a dance on the landing board but not your typical dance. She was kind of arched with abdomen down but shaking back and forth at intervals kind of like a regular dance. I didn't think much of it but I kept watching her and then a few other workers climbed up on her abdomen and then tried to bite something out between her thorax and abdomen. Sure enough, tucked way down there was a mite I think, right between her segments. I felt bad for her as the other bees couldn't reach it I don't think but they tried. I was gonna help her out but she made her way back in the hive shortly after the other bees tried to clean her off. I haven't noticed any other mites in drones or seen any drop, so hopefully the bees are doing a good job cleaning them out, but will definitely have to keep an eye on it now.

Jeff


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## Katharina

It has been available here since 2010, so not quite that long. I had zero losses this and last winter. It is a strong statement, but I still caution the it may work differently in other climates. I also tend to do things differently. I use 8 frame equipment and carnies. Carnies are more hygienic by nature. I wrap my hives in winter with a top hive feeder on to catch moisture. All those tiny things can have impact. I don't even remove the last fall Hopguard treatment at all. I put it in and wrap up the hives for winter. That leaves some residue in the hive all winter long. There are a lot of variable that may effect things. So far for me it has worked well. I also wonder if we naturally have less mites up here. For example we don't have ticks or fleas in this area, due to the climate. All I know is that the hive I treated with one Hopguard treatment, as the package said, was the weakest and very sick in fall. I thought is would not survive. I treated it progressively in fall, and it is now one of my strongest hives. I was able to split it this spring, that's how strong it has become. So I now tell other's what worked for me, and like to see their reports. Man I almost sound like a spokes person for Hopquard. LOL Which reminds me I have to buy more of it. Love the ease of use of this product, but is is not cheap. Myself and another commercial beekeeper in the club are thinking of buying the raw material from a beer supply company and just applying it onto the fames with a baster or something similar. It is much cheaper, but we are not sure how good it will work. I planned on making 50/50 splits, but ended up making 3 hives out of each original hive. They were doing so great this spring. We had a very cold winter, but early spring. Got a little bit of a head start here.


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## Keth Comollo

So it is a byproduct of beer brewing? If so what is the name of it as a friend of mine is the brewmaster for the largest brewery in New England!


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## Katharina

Not a byproduct, but a product used to make dark beer. Anyway you can buy the raw product from a company in WA. 
http://www.hopsteiner.com/products/brewingproducts.html
They sell it as Potassium Based Isomerized Kettle Extract (PIKE). Now a hopguard strip contains 1.92 grams of the possatium salt. I ended up using more, due to my 8 frame hives. So 8 grams should be safe per hive. I feel it would work with a bottle squirting it onto the frames, and think strips are extra work. It will require a little bit of testing and playing around. You can buy as little as a pound of their stuff.


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## Katharina

Forgot to mention that brewers have known for years that this stuff kills mites. That is when the idea came to check it on other mites.


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## Keth Comollo

Thanks! I will see if he can get me some in bulk and run a test when my mite counts get high in July-August.


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## Oldtimer

Hey thanks Katharina that's great information. A while back I attempted to import Hop Guard into my country but it's not allowed across the border unless I went through a bureaucratic process costing $1000's, had to can the idea.

I'll see if I can get the ingredient you suggested locally, and please update this thread if you or anyone tries this yourself.


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## ky_mike

Did my mite drop check today after having the sticky boards on for 48 hours. There were around 100 mites on each board. Still a few DWV bees walking around but the fronts of my hives are much cleaner.

Has anybody ever determined if it actually kills the mites?


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## Katharina

I looked at them with a magnifying glass and I didn't see their legs moving. I'm sure it kills them. I also think they do not get resistant, because the main ingredient has been known to kill other mites for almost 100 years. It still kills those. Using it on varroa mites is new, but I do feel it will continue to work. Only time will tell. I use only Hopguard and nothing else, and it seems to be working on my end. Ask me next year, if it still does the trick. I have been using it for 2 years now. In any case you need to monitor for mites, evaluate and take some sort of action. That may depend on the severity and your location. Hopguard is not cheap if used progressively. So other options should not be taken off the table.


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## ky_mike

I'm only on week 2 and I can tell my hives look healthier. I checked your link to the brewing company and think that will be worth a shot and much cheaper. I only have 3 hives now so at this point it's not too expensive. 

Thank you for sharing that link :thumbsup:


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## AltamontBee

Thanks for sharing your experiences - good information!


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## honeyshack

Thanks for the thread, good to know


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## Axtmann

It is totally unimportant how many mites you kill with Hopguard or any other products, you must find out how many mites are left in the hive after a treatment.
If a product works only for a few days and doesn't reach mites in closed cells, it's not worth to spend money for it. You must treat again and again. As soon as you see the first bees with deformed wings the damage is already done. Check drone brood for mites and don't wait until you can see them everywhere.
Some beekeepers are happy to see a great mite drop after a treatment, I'm happy if I can't find any after a treatment.


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## ky_mike

24 hours after my third and final treatment with hopguard and the mite drop on hive 1 was about 50. Hive 2 was about 100. I will keep checking mite drops after the final treatment is done and pull some drone brood as well.

All in all I am pleased that my mite drops were drastically reduced, my hives seem healthier and I haven't seen a DWV bee for a while now. As I said I am going to try some other things to keep them under control and do plan on treating again with hopguard this fall.

Hopefully this information will help someone else considering their options for treating.


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## Seymore

KY, I hope you will post next year on the survival of the hive. I had a badly infested hive, got huge mite drops, etc. Hive was dead by spring. There were other factors, of course, but the mites were the nail in the coffin.


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## ky_mike

Seymore said:


> KY, I hope you will post next year on the survival of the hive. I had a badly infested hive, got huge mite drops, etc. Hive was dead by spring. There were other factors, of course, but the mites were the nail in the coffin.


I will definitely do that. Like I said I have more plans for keeping the hives healthier. This is my second year beekeeping so I still have much to learn. This site and others have been very helpful and I definitely want to keep expanding my 3 hive apiary.


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## RedDave

How long do you wait between treatments? Or do you do one in Summer and another in Fall?
Dave


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## Katharina

3 rounds in spring and fall, and one round in summer if needed. I have not treated mine this spring, but split them all. I monitor for now. We do have a short season up here in the mountains, so I may be fine with that. They all will be treated in fall for sure.


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## Andrew Dewey

Keth Comollo said:


> Thanks! I will see if he can get me some in bulk and run a test when my mite counts get high in July-August.


Hop Guard is not approved for use in Vermont, at least according to the availability page on the Mann Lake web site.


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## Keth Comollo

I meant getting the PIKE (kettle extract) from a brewmaster friend and running a few tests.


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## Andrew Dewey

hummingberd said:


> Why won't Maine allow the use of this product????


Other Varroa control products have a Section 18 Emergency Use approval. The thought was since we (Maine Beekeepers) already had something approved, we didn't need another.


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## RedDave

Just started using HopGuard.
Question: How do you store the material that's not used completely? Refrigerate? Room temp?
BTW, it is STICKY!
Maybe some scientist will come up with a paste in a tube to put on top of frames?
Dave


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## ky_mike

I put it in a ziplock bag and stored it in the fridge.


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## ky_mike

My final report from my Hopguard experience!!

Bees are doing great. There is a huge difference in the amount of dead bees outside my hives. I did a 24 hour sticky board count from my biggest hive and found a total of 5 mites. I use to have bees with DWV crawling all over outside my hives and I am seeing none now.

I will use it again if need be, but I have started integrating foundationless frames and have all SBB's now.

All in all I am happy with the results. Only bad part is my white bee jacket is now stained with the liquid from the Hopguard itself. It is a little messy to use and I don't recommend wiping your hands on your jacket unless you are infested with mites yourself .


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## RedDave

Have not had the same results! After a 24 hour sticky board sample, still have about half the mites. I'll wait the 4 weeks recommended and do another treatment, unless someone tells me something different.
Dave


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## Katharina

Treat once per week for 3 weeks in a row. That is the only way you get the mites in the capped cells. One time treatments are just a tiny bit better then powdered sugar. A waste of good money on a product that isn't cheap. 

Hopquard does stain things quite nicely. All my wooden frames have the wood stained. But it doesn't bother me. I do use cheap plastic gloves from Walmart's pharmacy section. They are easy to toss once they are all nasty. I don't have a bee suit either. Just old stained clothing, so another stain doesn't bother me a bit.


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## RedDave

If you treat once a week for 3 weeks, is it necessary to always remove the previous strips? Why?
Dave


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## Katharina

I don't. Most likely they are gone anyway. I just put it on opposite frames, so it wont interfere if any are left. A strong hive will take the strips out in about 4-5 days. By then they are so dried up that they are basically useless. So yeah, you can take them out, but the bees will do it for you. You best bet is cleaning out the bottom boards, because that is where you will find the strips nicely fluffed up looking like brown cotton candy.


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## Oldtimer

RedDave said:


> I'll wait the 4 weeks recommended and do another treatment


Dave, I've seen this type of comment quite a lot so just to fully explain for others reading the thread, the hopguard only kills mites not in brood cells. So, if you do a treatment, right after the treatment, new mites will be emerging with hatching brood. Something around 3 days later (this can vary a bit) they'll go back into brood cells to lay eggs and reproduce. So, if you delay the next treatment 4 weeks, you'll have heaps of mites breeding in the mean time.

Let's say, on average, a hopguard treatment remains active in the hive for 4 or 5 days. That means you MUST treat weekly for 3 weeks, to stop newly emerged mites having time to get back into brood cells and start reproducing again. 

So, 3 week apart treatments, and the job should pretty much be done. But treatments further apart than that, you are unlikely to ever get on top of the mites.


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## Saltybee

Anyone ever get a reply from Hopsteiner sales about PIKE?


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## rainesridgefarm

They said they have had many calls from beekeepers on buying the PIKE. Because the do not want to get in the middle of a patent infringment lawsuit they put out a memo to not sell it to any beekeepers. They said a few have purchased it before they stopped it. most of it is used in larger amounts like 2000lbs totes so when someone calls for pails it sends up a big red flag.


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## Katharina

Wow, unbelievable.


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## Katharina

I guess we now have to ask breweries to sell some of their stuff to us directly.


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## mmmooretx

FBM (Fat Bee Man) uses a propane fogger with mineral oil. I would like to hear the groups comments on effectiveness. I am thinking of getting a fogger if it seems to work.
Thanks in advance.


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## Oldtimer

The mineral oil fogging thing hit my country in a big way around 2 years ago when heaps of people rushed off and bought one, thinking a great way to solve their varroa issues. Nearly all those foggers are sitting in sheds / up for sale now, just wasn't that effective. To kill a few mites, it will work. To actually eradicate mites from the hive, it has to be done every three days for several weeks, not particularly good for the bees.


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## Saltybee

So , who has a good mead and PIKE recipe?


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## chickenia

I see I can't purchase Hopguard in NC, where can I get it, is there another product I can put on my supers while I still have a honey harvest building to take off soon?

I bought 2 pkgs. of Italians in May, and have already done one split and moved it into a 10 frame hive box yesterday and put a super on it. I saw evidence of mites and did a sugar shake, and have the sticky board in now.

I have two strong hives up on the hill behind the "nucky" girls. I know they also have mites, and I have 3 supers on Hive #1, and only 2 on #2 & 1 on the newbie #3. I will be harvesting in a couple of weeks from #1 and let the others build up food for the winter. Can I use Mite Away strips while I have honey to harvest? I was told not to do the powdered sugar shake while honey is in the supers as it will crystalize????? Help? I want to get on top of this soon. I have not noticed dead bees out front and they seem very healthy....though just this week I have noticed some of the symptoms9tottering around, slow take off) of mites that alerted me :O 

Thank you SO MUCH!!!


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## Oldtimer

Mite away is OK. It's formic acid, which will get into your honey, but slowly evaporate out again.


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## mmmooretx

I ordered the Freeman oil trays for my Country Rubes SBB bottoms and will install next week and monitor . I might try the Georgabees traps that use Check Mite Plus and his bait, but at nearly $90 for the whole set up (10 traps) it is pricy. Hopefully the girls will maintain control as I want to minimize chemicals.
Thanks for all of the great inputs.


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## JRG13

I just put in week 2 today. Unfortunately I'm out of town for 10 days so week 3 is a little delayed. Seems to be going ok so far except anyone else's bees go ape when you put the strips in? Mine really seem to not like the initial install and I thought for sure I was going to get stung the first time and this time I took one on the wrist.


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## beemandan

JRG13 said:


> Seems to be going ok so far except anyone else's bees go ape when you put the strips in?


They don't like it. It is one of the times I go ahead a 'glove up' before I even start.


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## JRG13

ok, good to know Dan, I was wearing gloves, just not long enough apparently. My arm doesn't look good, swelled up all the way to the elbow and up to my fingers. Not sure, but I felt the sting and it was no big deal, but since I had strips in my hand I had to wait a few seconds and I dunno if the bee drilled the stinger in more at that time but all of a sudden it hurt really bad and then she finally separated herself. I got a good pinch on the barb and pulled it out quick but definitely my worst reaction so far. Maybe she hit a vein or something.


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## buzz abbott

If you squeezed the sac you injected more in. fwiw, I read recently that 80% of the venom is injected in the first 20 seconds. don';t know if that is fact, but the article was scholarly.


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## JRG13

Thanks for the info buzz. I've always wondered how long it takes for the sac to empty. i always figured since it's so small not that long. Pretty sure I got a good nail pinch on the barb and not the sac to pull it out but I dunno, especially with wearing gloves.


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## buzz abbott

since i started wearing nitrile gloves I've not had a bad reaction. if i get stung i just lift the glove and it pulls the sting out then smoke the site.


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## JRG13

Yes, I would think gloves help in that regard, I just got caught right about where the glove ended though. Guess I need to reconsider what to wear when working the bees and protect myself a little better. Went 4 months w/o getting stung but took about 10 in a week now.


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## brushwoodnursery

May I have some specific advice, please? Beemandan, you're in my area. Katharina, you use 8 frame. I'm on 8 frame deeps with one huge colony, one solid and one just getting into the second deep (it was a small swarm, I'm feeding it). All are screened top and bottom. Do I button up top and bottom to treat? Gets pretty hot here and the hives are in full sun all day (going to fix that later this year so they get some midday shade in summer). Katharina, do you use a full treatment (as suggested for 10 frame)?


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## beemandan

brushwoodnursery said:


> Do I button up top and bottom to treat?


My understanding is that hopguard is a contact agent. No need to close up. I treat with full dose. It doesn't seem entirely benign, as advertised. At least not in our heat. I've seen some brood shutdown that appears related to the hopguard application...although it could also be a result of heat or dearth. Regardless, it came on immediately after the application. 
Good luck
Dan


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## johng

Brushy I have some hives in 8 frame equipment and when I use Hopsgaurd I treat them like 10 frame hives. They all get one full treatment for three weeks in a row.

As far as buttoning up the hive? You may be confusing two different mite treatments. Hopsgaurd is a contact miticide it kills on contact so there is no need to button up the hive. Miteaway quick strips or Apigaurd are the miticides that require the screened bottom board to be closed during treatment. Miteaway and Apigaurd both kill by evaporating at a controled rate. The fumes is what kills the mites that why the hive has to be closed up. And they also have temperature requirements can't use them if the temp is too high or too low. You can google search each one and find the temp requirements. I don't want to try and quote them off the top of my head. 

As far as I know Hopsgaurd does not have a temp requirement. Hope this helps


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## brushwoodnursery

As always, I love this forum! Thanks to both for the reassurance I need. I will perform a solid treatment now and should have plenty left over for fall.
BTW, made honey ice cream yesterday! Mmmm! Happy kids and grown-ups in the house.


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## Keth Comollo

Maine receives Section 18 Emergency Exemption for Hopguard


http://mainebeekeepers.org/news/hopguard-recieves-section-18-emergency-exemption-in-maine/


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## julysun

ARS National Program 305: Crop Production – FY 2011 Annual Report 
14
Component 2: Bees and Pollination
SUBCOMPONENT 2A: HONEY BEES [APIS]
New product that controls bee mites with acids from hops. Varroa mite is the most 
important pest of honey bee colonies and causes major colony losses due to parasitism and 
transmitting viruses, many of which are associated with Colony Collapse Disorder. 
Beekeepers need new methods to control Varroa mites because currently registered products 
are either inconsistent in their effectiveness, harmful to brood, contaminate wax combs, or 
no longer control Varroa mites because the mite is resistant. Under a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement, ARS scientists in Tucson, Arizona, developed a product 
(commercialized as Hopguard
TM
by BetaTec Hop Products) that uses beta plant acids from 
hops to reduce varroa mite populations in colonies. A Section-18 emergency registration 
was issued by EPA and HopGuard
TM
is now in commercial production and being used in 
honey bee colonies.

Also; http://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-012-9593-2/fulltext.html
This is a USDA study on Hopguard


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## cdevier

I treated with Hop Guard yeasterday - It is easy to work with but I recommend that you carry a rag or paper towel to wipe your gloves on.
All four hives are 2 medium boxes - Hive 1 and 2 are heavy with bees - hives 3 and 4 are very light on bees.
24 hour test before treatment;
hive 1 = 13 mites on a 8.5 x 11 sheet
hive 2 = 5
hive 3 = 3
hive 4 = 2

24 hours after treatment;
Hive 1 = 360 mites on 8.5 x 11 sheet
hive 2 = 26
hive 3 = 42
hive 4 = 22


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## crofter

cdevier; do you plan to repeat? I found that initial mite drop is good, then tapers off. Putting strips on again in a week jumps up the mite drop again but not as high as the first application. After three applications the counts seem to stay down. I think it has been discussed that the hopgard does not get the mites in capped brood.


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## Katharina

brushwoodnursery said:


> May I have some specific advice, please? Beemandan, you're in my area. Katharina, you use 8 frame. I'm on 8 frame deeps with one huge colony, one solid and one just getting into the second deep (it was a small swarm, I'm feeding it). All are screened top and bottom. Do I button up top and bottom to treat? Gets pretty hot here and the hives are in full sun all day (going to fix that later this year so they get some midday shade in summer). Katharina, do you use a full treatment (as suggested for 10 frame)?


Yes, full treatment like a 10 frame. 2 strips per brood box even in a 8 frame box.


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## JRG13

If you have no capped brood you probably will get a good kill with your first treatment, but if you have active brooding or cells that will be capped soon, you will probably need to go the three weeks. Any bees that get slimed by the product will die, and I mean ones that get fully coated when the strips go in. I would make sure the queen is nowhere around, I pulled the frame with the queen on it last time just to make sure as I happened to find her before treating. Is it pure contact, or does the bees chewing the strips kill mites feeding on them as well?


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