>>> We treat bees, not boxes. I assume that whoever wrote the label
>>> assumed that the aforementioned boxes were full of brood. In
>>> fact, I have seldom seen more than ten frames of brood.
> Jeez Allen, you are sure assuming a lot! The manufacturers of Apivar
> are not idiots, know how many frames of brood are in a typical hive,
> and have 15 year's experience with the product in Europe.
Jeeeez Randy. Why not just leave out my name, supposed assumptions, and
implied mental status and just address the topic?
No matter, I decided that maybe I was hallucinating those years when I
inspected hives -- after all I am getting on in years and apparently
getting senile -- and decided to consult an expert.
I chose one everyone respects, who is definitely not an idiot, who works
Sundays on a long weekend, and who has had input into the writing of the
Canadian Apivar label. (Yes, that is just one person, not four.)
--- begin conversation ---
AD:> How many strips are Alberta beekeepers using these days per brood
chamber?
Expert:> 1 strip for every 5 frames of bees. We don't use strips per box
- that is subjective.
AD:> I seem to recall that everyone used two strips in the fall. But
then I was busy doing alcohol washes and not really paying a lot of
attention to how many strips the used. Everyone said two as I recall anyhow.
Expert:> When they use 2 strips the results are not reliable due to
application on top box and bees in the bottom. We ensure that our
recommendation is clear. Fall treatment can be 2, 3 or 4.
Expert:> Then the alternative treat in spring only 2 needed and results
are reliable.
Expert:> Now almost 80% use spring treatment
AD:> Thanks. I always figured spring is best if you can wait that long
Expert:> All depends on the year. Some years, (a) few beekeepers with
high level(s) can apply spring and fall
--- end conversation ---
I may not be very smart and make a lot of assumptions, but I _have_ over
several years looked frame-by-frame through hundreds of hives that are a
representative sampling of tens or hundreds or thousands of hives that
have been treated with Apivar for several years -- and some that have
not, while personally doing alcohol washes, filling out forms and
talking to the beekeepers.
In short, it was not at all unusual to see zeros and occasional highs of
fewer than 10 mites in October hives that had not been treated for a
year, and all zeros in hives that had a spring Apivar treatment.
Of course there was the occasional exception. Some (one?) who treated in
spring had poor control, with numbers like 30+ by fall!
As far as I can tell, it all has to do with strip placement. If a strip
is not near the open brood for the duration of treatment, it is much
less effective, and possibly wasted, especially if not well inside the
cluster 24/7 during the treatment period..
Alberta Beekeepers who use two strips in the top box, then feed heavily
and drive the bees down off the strips into the lower box get poor
control. Those who place them where the brood is, and/or move them if
the brood shifts, get satisfactory control. If the strips are moved,
by the label, the treatment period can be extended to 56 days.
Another alternative is to place strips where the cluster is and also
where it will be in a month, employing three or four strips.
The decision is one of economics. There is labour involved in opening
hives. Two extra strips per hive cost $5, and a trip to the yard to
move them costs what? In some cases nothing and in others hundreds of
dollars.
Regarding the manufacturers knowing how many frames of brood are in a
typical hive, maybe in addition to 'not being idiots', they are
clairvoyant? I sure don't know.
Some beekeepers use standard depth and some use mediums or westerns, and
some even use shallows as brood chambers, believe it or not.
Also some beekeepers run eight frames and some ten. At one time, I ran
twelve mediums (Farrar) with standard spacing and Manley frames.The
label does not specify what size of brood chamber or frame. And then
there are nucs...
Trying to Follow the label literally as it is written presents a real
quandary for a thinking person and an unnecessary expense for the rest.
---
Allen Dick
Swalwell, Alberta, Canada
51°33'37.58"N 113°18'54.24"W
Semi-retired - 40+ years keeping bees - 4500 hives max
Currently running ~70 hives
Hives for sale year-round
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/
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