Peter said:
If using the Apistan strip in a 24 hour drop test - the efficiency of
fluvalinate must be established first.

Apistan was what the Tucson Bee lab sends as a follow up. As I told the bee
lab Apistan has not worked  since the fall of 97 in my apiaries. I do plan
on testing Apistan again in the spring to see if over six years Apistan will
control varroa again.

Checkmite is the chemical strip I will be installing for 24 hours. I would
have had to do the same for the Tucson study as I have not found any
coumaphos resistant mites so far in our bees or the bees my partner acquired
this year from Iowa and Texas.

I looked at bees from mine and two other beekeepers bees which wintered in
California  and found no coumaphos resistant varroa.

The last time I installed a Checkmite in a varroa infested hive for twenty
four hours I got around 3000 varroa on the sticky board. The beekeeper had
just completed the 50+ day time period treating with Apistan.

Natural fall can tell you many things but the chemical strip for 24 hours
will give you a better (in my opinion) idea of how well the treatment
worked.

Bob

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