# best treatment options for varroa mites?



## masselinkgreg (Apr 2, 2015)

Hi all, 

Has anyone used products from mann lake for varroa mite control? I would like to order through them, but I am a very new beekeeper yet and don't know what would be best to use. I live in Southwestern Minnesota, and I will have 4 hives this year if that makes a difference.

Thank you


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## Learning2Bee (Jan 20, 2016)

A lot of people like MAQS. (Mite away quick strips). They seem to have a good experience. I'm pretty much TF unless need be so thats not really my area....
My mentor uses Hopguard and loves it. I believe its organic as well.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

That's a big question and you'll get a lot of answers. You may very well even have different needs between your colonies. I like the Mite Away strips but I often choose to use Oxalic Acid. I truly like a variety of approaches. For me, it's more about choosing a method that you're comfortable with and that embodies a treatment schedule that you can adhere to. The foundation is assessment and monitoring. Choose a reasonable mite monitoring protocol (think, sugar or ether roll or bottom / sticky board count) and then apply your treatment. Measure, repeat. Adjust accordingly. All these words sound daunting but I'm suggesting that you don't adopt a treatment plan that you cannot follow through on, nor one that doesn't allow you to assess if your efforts are working. Just a thought. Glad you posted here.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is that it depends. 

The so called soft, organic or naturally occurring treatments which are effective and approved - formic acid, thymol, and oxalic acid have their limitations. Single application Formic kills mite in brood, but kills brood (and sometimes queens) if it is too hot. Thymol doesn't kill mites in brood (but timed released apiguard and apilife kills them as they emerge if used correctly) - usually doesn't kill brood, but also is not effective enough if the weather is too cool - under some conditions it seem to cause absconding - also takes at least 2 applications. Oxalic if used correctly doesn't kill bees, but also never kills mites in brood - so should only be used on broodless hives.

Apivar - amatraz - is not natural or organic, but also not very temp dependant and kills mites for a long time so that they can't hide in brood. Expensive, but it works. In the past mites have always become resistant to synthetics like amatraz and other synthetics are known to accumulte in wax have been connected to fertility problems in drones.

I've left some out, but you can find many more words on the subject here if you want.


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