# First Year Beekeeper - Help!?



## tct1w (Jun 6, 2008)

Hi Andrea,sounds like you have had an eventful year and welcome to the forum. I will try to help you out with a few of my ideas. Thats one thing about beekeepers,you ask one hundred a question and you get a hundred different answers,but I will try to give you my best advice. 
Hive two-treat it. I think it will succumb to mites if you dont. I try to do no pesticide thing but with just two hives you dont have alot of choice. Either let it go or treat. With your weather in NH your going to have to figure out with what to treat. Some dont work when it starts cooling off. I use api gard,its "soft" and in my 1st week of four,but Im alot farther south. 
Hive one,I think the reason your mite count is low is because with all of the queen going ons,there was quit awhile that was broodless,or very little. Mites,use brood as their incubator so that is why there is less in number one. 
Your right the reason they are cranky,been queenless,nervous and had someone checking on them. This time of year I think all bees get cranky. 
Ok hope I was some help,but on hive two I would definitely treat. Take care and welcome Dave


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Everyone would like to be treatment free including me, but I would rather compromise than have no bees in the spring. Depending on your weather you might look into doing an oxalic acid trickle in November. It works.


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## nunarr (Aug 7, 2010)

Hi first yr beek, I totally agree with this first chap, I did the sugar thing with my first year of the little buggers and unless you total drown the hive in sugar ( and cover every bee ) you will loose it, give in and put some strips in you will amazed how well they work and it is alot less work than dusting, all the best


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Andrea, grease patties and soft treatments could mean their survival over the Winter.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

Hello and Welcome!

First - While I try to avoid chemicals and use powdered sugar to treat for mites, with the high mite count on Hive One I'd seriously consider trying Apiguard to knock down the mite count before winter.

Second, as for mentors, have you tried a local bee club?
http://www.nhbeekeepers.org/LocalClubs.htm

http://www.vermontbeekeepers.org/in...s-in-vermont&catid=34:vba-resources&Itemid=29


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## andreab (Sep 9, 2010)

Hi to all!
Thank you very much for sharing your suggestions and advise with me! Currently, I am in the process of purchasing a used extractor and knife, so keep your fingers crossed for me that the deal will go through! Currently looking into purchasing the Apistan Strips... is this the "lightest" or safest treatment method? Wondering if the mite problem from hive two could potentially spread to hive one... and if I should treat them both at the same time despite the fact hive one doesn't have as big of a problem.... thank you all again for your help!!
~Andrea


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Apistan is not the "softest" treatment, and can (and has) lead to resistant mites if not used correctly - don't leave it in the hive longer than directed.

Apiguard uses thymol - an extract of essential oil of the herb thyme - and seems to be effective without causing resistance. These treatments have to be done while the weather is still warm or they won't work.

When deciding which hives to treat or not keep in mind that a bigger hive will drop more mites even if it has the same percent of infestation. So a small mite count from a small hive can still indicate a bad infestation.


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## andreab (Sep 9, 2010)

Thank you for the information! I looked up Apigaurd but noticed that it only works between temperatures of 60-100 degrees. Sadly, nights and early mornings are already creeping into the low 40's up here. I'm not sure if they would work as accurately as I would need them to work... Maybe I'm wrong?


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Pull your honey supers if they are on before treating. Make a 1:1 solution and mix in thymol to the mix. Get a mist bottle, fill it and then pull each frame and mist both sides. Your mite count will drop to almost zero. Then put a feeder on with the same solution. This will eliminate any mites that might have been in sealed cells during the misting. I would do both hives as if one has a high mite count the second probably will too. A sticky board is a poor way to determine your mite count. Do an alcohol wash...it is most accurate.

Good luck.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

How much thymol? And what product (and where do you get it) do you use as thymol.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Here is a link to feed recipes. http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246454

and you can pick it up in the oz bottle of thyme oil (essential oil) at vitamin cottage or similar store.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

alpha6-

This sounds good, and I'm going to try this today, but just a couple of questions:

This has about 1/2 as much sugar per volume as I've already been feeding, do you think it will make any difference if I make it up in a 5 gallon batch with more sugar so that I can continue with the same feeding regimen? Probably a dumb question, but heh...

I'm thinking with such a small amount of EO that it is easy on everything including open brood? Have you seen any brood mortality from spraying?


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## Peter (Mar 28, 2009)

Andreab

Could try apivar, it's rated to work best at around 65f during the day which I'm sure you're still getting to most days.


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