>   The strips need to be in for 45 days, so you should still have
> plenty of time to let the bees fill and ripen it and then get the
> strips in.
 
 
        From all that I have read the it seems that the application
of Apistan is dependent on when a calendar date. The issue is
wether the bees that will go into the winter been punctured by the
V-mite, thus weakened for a myriad for reasons. This may be more
dependent on the length of the day than the honey flow. So the
current thinking is the earlier in August the better. The bees that
go into winter will be produced in a mite reduced hive.
 
        Also the treatment time per instructions and as advertised
is 6-8 weeks. That is from 2 worker brood cycles(42 days)to 2 drone
brood cycles (56 days). 60 days having been proposed in a recent
post is a bit more than 8 weeks.
 
        Relating to the bee/mite life cycle and the v-mites
preference for drone brood, I think a tiny bit more than 2 full
drone brood cycles (2x28 = 56 days) makes sense. My logic, the
mites in the brood cells are safe so the the youngest drone larvae
will produce a generation of mites (~28 days). A few these might
dodge the apistan and get in the next currently available drone
brood (or worker brood) and be safe and emerge after another <28
days. The few of the few that would survive now would be at an
exceptable level because it is now early October with much less
brood on which to breed and they will be less able to dodge the
Apistan.
 
        Going into winter far fewer bees will have been troubled by
mites either while larvae or as adults.
 
        I get to see if my bees and mites? appreciate my logic this
winter!
 
        Jim Moore
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