On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 11:28 AM, randy oliver wrote:

In the year 2000, after Apistan failed, and being forced to use coumaphos
> as an alternative, I decided to see whether I could run an operation
> without synthetic miticides (largely due to concerns of comb contamination
> by the available products).
>

and

> In order to start

> all off with equally low mite levels, I applied a single Apivar strip
> (amitraz) to each (my first experience with the product).
>

So why have you resisted trying amitraz until now?  My understanding is
that it has a lower level of comb contamination than either fluvalinate or
coumaphos.  In some countries it has been used for many years without
resistance developing.

When we got fluvalinate resistant mites here I only once tried coumaphos
(just as a test to confirm that the fluvalinate was failing, only used a
few strips).  I spent several years trying formic acid (successive flash
treatments of 40 ml or paperboard in perforated bags with 300 ml).  I was
never very happy with it overall.  It is inconsistent for a large
operation, temperature dependent, and not well suited to very old equipment
with cracks, holes and broken frame rest ends.

The combination of amitraz strips as  soon as the honey is pulled and
oxalic dribble before we wrap when the hives are broodless has been very
successful for me.  Since we have been doing that our winter losses have
been about 15% and we have never needed to do any spring treatment.  I do
not do especially high amounts of comb replacement but do not see much
problem.

At Apimondia Medhat was suggesting that spring was the best time to put in
Apivar, but I can only say that putting it in after honey has worked for me
with only very few hives showing a mite in an alcohol wash in spring.
While I do not use any foreign workers here and literacy and language are
not issues, it is nice to have a simple treatment that is effective over a
range of temperatures and does not require the safety concerns for my
workers that formic did.

Stan

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