I was hoping to be able to treat just a couple times a year this year, but
looking at the bees I purchased from a commercial beek I am thinking that
was not enough.  This year I bumped up to a dozen or so hives, 3from
splitts off overwintered, 5from a commercial beek, and another five or so
from swarms and cutouts I collected.  The splitts and swarms were untreated
till the start of September (3 rounds of hopguard a week apart, the extra
labor isn't a big deal on my scale).  The purchased hives had just had
tactic placed on them when I got them in May.  All of my swarms are doing
great, plenty of stores despite the drought, good populations and brood
patterns.  One splitt is on it's way out due to stubborn queenlessness
(started with a virgin, tried swarm cells and brood twice, and combined
with a small laying swarm once too).  All of my purchased hives look poor
and I'm pretty sure are not going to make it (One gone to late
queenlessness and robbing already).  I'm guessing it's due to insufficient
varroa control, got too busy and played the assume game.

Jeremy
West Michigan

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