# Less than a dozen dead varroa, treat the 3rd time?



## Gumpy (Mar 30, 2016)

Are you sure the first two were effective? Did you do a test prior to starting treatment? 

I would do the third. Make sure the vapor is positioned under the cluster.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

If the colony still has brood, there are likely mites under the capped cells, and you would want to do the next one in the cycle. If there was no capped brood at the time of OAV, then one [properly applied] treatment should be adequate.


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

check for the needed minimum temperature -- although I imagine you are warm enough.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

I agree with Rader in post #3. All the temperature needs to be is above 37. 
Go for it!


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## Username (Apr 21, 2017)

Gumpy said:


> Are you sure the first two were effective? Did you do a test prior to starting treatment?
> 
> I would do the third. Make sure the vapor is positioned under the cluster.


If it's important to position the wand directly under the colony, how is it that the ProVap 110 and other band heater type vaporizers work as well as they do, since they only blow the vaporized OA in via a small tube inserted just inside the hive body? I'm assuming if there is any truth to it, that it must be due to the difference in the delivery method. Everything I have read up to this point has said the fanning action of the bees is responsible for circulating the vapors throughout the hive. If the latter is true, I wouldn't think it should matter very much where it was positioned, so long as all of the medicine made it into the hive.

This is the second time I have seen someone say this today, and I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly. As a second year beekeeper, I'm in no position to argue the point either way. I just want to make sure I'm providing the most appropriate care for my bees as I possibly can.


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

Username said:


> Everything I have read up to this point has said the fanning action of the bees is responsible for circulating the vapors throughout the hive. If the latter is true, I wouldn't think it should matter very much where it was positioned, so long as all of the medicine made it into the hive.





snl said:


> I agree with Rader in post #3. All the temperature needs to be is above 37.
> Go for it!


can't answer your question but at 37 degrees, how much fanning do you think the cluster would be doing??


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## Hedghawg (Apr 25, 2016)

Gumpy said:


> Are you sure the first two were effective? Did you do a test prior to starting treatment?
> 
> I would do the third. Make sure the vapor is positioned under the cluster.


No test prior and no, I'm not sure the first two were effective. The first one was through the screen bottom board and there were crystals collected on the screen above the vaporizer, that's a big reason why I did the second oav after seeing so few varroa. The second one was with a 2" shim below the brood box and the vaporizer was above the screen. I looked up into the hive before I started the vaporizer on the second treatment and it was directly under the brood.

I suppose a test beforehand is the appropriate thing to do but if I would have gotten such a low count I would have second guessed myself anyway. My thought would have been that it is impossible to have so few mites especially since the only other treatment has been the shop towel treatment and it's effectiveness is still debated heavily according to what I've read. Yes I know it's "not approved" and maybe even illegal  but so far there's been no swat team. Could it have worked, I would know if I had tested? :doh:





Rader Sidetrack said:


> If the colony still has brood, there are likely mites under the capped cells, and you would want to do the next one in the cycle. If there was no capped brood at the time of OAV, then one [properly applied] treatment should be adequate.


On second treatment there were only some (couple hundred) capped brood. (This is another worry of mine but I'm hoping they decided to stop rearing already for the winter.) I think though this answers the question of whether or not to treat.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

wildbranch2007 said:


> can't answer your question but at 37 degrees, how much fanning do you think the cluster would be doing??


I was taught to give them a couple puffs of smoke to get them fanning before inserting the wand. I don't remember the temp when I treated last winter, but probably not much higher than 37 degrees and I could hear them fanning after smoking them. J


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