Definitely bees activity around the strips is important. The question is how much of the mites on bees that are in that part of the box at this time of the year. We did not treat colonies in winter due to:
1.  If bees are heavily infested, they would not make it through the winter why should waste my $5 strips.
2. Hard to manipulate wrapped colonies in our climate during winter with too many interruptions to collect sticky boards and replacing them. Bees might even die due to all of these exposures to freezing temp.
3. We suppose to take out used strips after 42 days. If we don't we might be breeding faster resistance to Apivar. This is even harder on bees to open hives to take strips out.

Our research as you mentioned in previous e mail showed that best results obtained when treatment was in  early spring. When you go to feeding bees pollen patties, just place the strips in the top brood chamber. Bees actively are feeding on patties and starting brooding. mites within 42 days of treatment are  almost zero. These colonies most likely will not require a second treatment in fall under our conditions. You checked hives for me in the past few years and showed that in your sampling counts. These results were reported to our beekeepers who are  involved in the surveillance program.
As you canadian beekeepers will not stay in winter to treat bees. They rather be in some place warm away from snow, except government civil servants.

Happy new year to Bee-L members.

Medhat Nasr
Albeta, Canada.
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