Treating from below the screen


I do this using a cattle drench gun to apply 40 mls on to two paper towels as a flash method on the slide.  I have a fairly good seal on my slides and have restricted entrances all year round  (4 inch by 3/8) and find it effective just for the bottom super only.  I don't use queen excluders.


If you don't use queen excluders you can double the amount of formic acid and this will clear the bees from the bottom super for over an hour which I believe will kill mites in the cells; (hives have to be 3 supers high so the queen can get away from the formic fumes).


As a trial, I tried it with a full drone comb in the second super during spring and found mite counts steadily increase.


However when this treatment is used each month, it keeps varroa levels low through the season especially late into the season when most of the brood is in the bottom super.


We have warm winters (compared to the USA) with brood in most hives.  It's very easy to monitor mite levels without opening hives and you can take action when you suddenly find a hive with high mite numbers on the slide.


Frank Lindsay

Wellington

New Zealand

________________________________
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Peter Loring Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, 30 September 2016 2:38:19 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] Beetles, and lots of them!

> just soaking a couple of folded paper towels and placing them in the tray under the SBB.  Really easy and no need to open the hive.

I have never heard of applying formic _below_ the brood. I have always thought that it should be applied _above_ the brood as it tends to sink. To me, opening the hive is not that big of a deal, especially to save their lives.

PLB

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