Peter L. Borst writes:

> Near as I can tell, the Canadian equivalent to Apiguard is Thymovar

Not quite; Thymovar comes in the form of little strips, while
Apiguard can be obtained in the form of a tray of gel.  They are of
course both Thymol-based.  Does the substrate matter?  Possibly not,
but I'm curious to try a different one.

> Canada OKs Thymovar for bee mite control, 09 May 2016

Yes, I used it last year.  Smells awful.  :-)

> My rule of thumb is that if it's legal, bee supply vendors will
> have it in stock. If they don't, it's probably not legal.

That's a good rule of thumb, though I don't know how quickly newly
approved products appear on the catalogs.  Also, it would be nice to
know what's in the pipeline.  (On that note, I sincerely hope that the
Canadian authorities are closely following Randy Oliver's shop towel
work for delivery of oxalic acid - that's looking very promising, and
it would be a shame for Canadian beekeepers to be delayed in getting
access to that method once it's shown to be safe and effective.)

> Beekeepers are scofflaws, though. I don't know if I have met one
> yet that hasn't used some off-label concoction.

Well, (a) I wouldn't be trying to determine the legality if I didn't
care about it, and (b) you're looking at one (reading one!) now,
unless you count powdered sugar as "some off-label concoction".

Janet L. Wilson writes:

> Anne Bennett asked about Apiguard availability in Canada...it is
> thymol based and I know here in the PacNW there has been concern
> over the efficacy of thymol based Varroa remedies. They often
> require multiple applications...which is not only a lot of work,
> but gets expensive. Which would be ok if the stuff worked well,
> but there appear to be questions about how well it does work.

As a keeper of a single colony, I'm not very concerned about expense
or work.  Of course I am concerned about efficacy.  I was satisfied
with the results of my Thymovar treatment last summer; I'm sorry I
can't give you the before and after mite counts - I'm at EAS right now
and don't have access to my beekeeping journal.

Walter of littlewolfbees adds:

> The other rule of thumb at least here in Canada that always gets you
> answers to questions like this is: Call your provincial Apiarist.  The
> alternative: your bee inspector.

Of course, if the answer is online somewhere, I don't have to bother a
human.  I suppose, arguably, I'm bothering several humans now, but you
can always ignore me.  ;-)

> Use Apivar!  And  get yourself hygienic stock!

I get my queens from a local(ish) breeder who specifically breeds
for VSH behaviour, among other things.  I'm very satisfied with
my stock.  That doesn't mean that my bees never require treatment.
I'd use Amitraz as a last resort if I needed a serious mite knockdown
at a time when I couldn't use another method.  So far, I've managed
to keep things very well under control with methods "lower down
on the IPM pyramid", so to speak, and I intend to continue with
that approach as long as it continues to work.

If my mite counts are unsatisfactory this month, I'd probably use
formic acid if Montreal weren't in the middle of an extended heat
wave.  Under the circumstances, I might have to use a thymol-based
product instead.  Hence, my enquiry.


Anne Bennett, backyard beekeeper, Montreal.

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